MLB Bullets Has Its Day In Court

So I was going to get this article done early tonight and go to bed at a reasonable hour. Then the stupid Cubs made me write two more articles tonight. So I may be not quite so chatty today.

• So you probably heard that Giancarlo Stanton got hit in the face. He's probably out for the rest of the year.
• Richard Justice said in no way was it intentional. But the situation escalated quickly after that anyway.
• And Chase Headley got hit in the jaw with a pitch too.
• As long as we're on the subject of Stanton, Dave Cameron has a look at what a long-term extension for Stanton might cost the Marlins or some other team.
• All these long-term contracts end up looking bad. Except that David Schoenfield remembers we all said that when Jayson Werth signed with the Nationals, and that turned out to be a good deal for the Nats.
• There was one deal we all thought looked good for the team at the time, and that was Dustin Pedroia's extension with the Red Sox. Gordon Edes says it may not end up as good a deal for the Red Sox as we thought, as Pedroia's best years may be behind him.
• Pedroia's season is over after wrist surgery.
• Bud Selig says that MLB has considered adopting a general policy towards domestic violence.
• In a video, Craig Calcaterra says MLB needs to prepare now to get out in front of any future domestic violence crisis so they don't get in the mess the NFL is in.
• A current legal issue is that the Mets and their COO Jeff Wilpon are being sued by a former employee who claims she was fired for having a child out-of-wedlock.
• Craig Calcaterra, who is a former lawyer, has looked at the complaint and says that while he'd never pass judgment on the validity of a case from just the complaint, he says that the complaint has none of the warning signs that he looks for that would indicate a "frivolous lawsuit" to him. He thinks the case has merit and that the Mets and MLB need to take it very, very seriously.
• Additionally, Calcaterra thinks that MLB needs to take some action against Wilpon now.
• Jeff Passan agrees and says that here is where Selig or Rob Manfred need to take action so that they don't end up dealing with a PR nightmare like NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has.
• Final legal news: A man has pled "not guilty" to human smuggling charges related to Yasiel Puig.
• Puig is still slumping and there are more calls to remove him from the Dodgers starting lineup.
• Ben Reiter says that it would hurt the Yankees more than help to bench Derek Jeter.
• Matthew Leach says the Tigers need to move Justin Verlander to the bullpen for the playoffs.
• Jeff Long says that you shouldn't compare Marcus Stroman to Greg Maddux. Having said that, he compares Marcus Stroman to Greg Maddux.
• The Twins have a big decision about whether to keep on Ron Gardenhire as their manager. The last time the Twins fired their manager was 1986.
• Tim Brown touts El Paso Chihuahuas manager Pat Murphy as a good candidate to manage in the majors.
• The Astros want a new manager with major league experience, either as a manager or a bench coach. Of course, Bo Porter had been a major league bench coach.
• Russell Carleton examines whether perpetual losing can hinder player development. He finds some evidence that it can. It's not definitive though and he does note that losing does have other advantages.
• The idea that losing would hinder development is that it would have a psychological impact on the players. Gabe Kapler thinks that player psychology is the next competitive edge to be exploited in the game.
• Ken Rosenthal notes that the Angels are being led by the top of their order, and it's not just Mike Trout. Leadoff hitter Kole Calhoun is playing a big role in the Angels big season.
• Rosenthal also makes the case for Billy Hamilton as NL Rookie of the Year.
• The Rays are going to have a lower payroll next season.
• Phil Rogers writes that Chris Sale belongs among the elite pitchers of the game.
• Aaron Gleeman says Sale is just as strong a contender for the AL Cy Young as Felix Hernandez.
• Marc Normandin says that James Shields is the perfect pitcher for the Kansas City Royals this season.
• Would the Marlins make the playoffs if they had Jose Fernandez this season?
• Nathaniel Stoltz explains how the success of pitchers changes as it moves up the minor league system.
• The Mets are talking about moving the fences in at Citi Field again.
• Here's a single from the band "Puig Destroyer."
• And finally, why are there 162 games in a season? Math mostly. But as they add more teams, the math makes less sense. (h/t Hardball Talk)

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster.