MLB Bullets Isn’t Running A Farewell Tour

Eighty-five percent of people are out there earning a living while the other fifteen percent read MLB Bullets.

• Alex Rodriguez did not play in the first two games after announcing his retirement and he was not happy about that. But Yankees manager Joe Girardi explained that "My job description does not entail a farewell tour." Umm, unless they’re for Derek Jeter, right Joe? And weren’t the Yankees actually a playoff team last year instead of one that sold off at the trade deadline?
• Girardi also denied Rodriguez’s request to play third base in his final game.
• Wallace Matthews says that Girardi’s decision not to play Rodriguez was simply vindictive.
• In what is really a pretty surprising move for ESPN.com, Andrew Marchand takes apart Girardi’s comments on A-Rod in "Fire Joe Morgan"-style. OK, he’s not as vicious as they would have been on that late, lamented website.
• Marchand and Scott Lauber also debate whether Rodriguez should have gotten a better send-off.
• Craig Calcaterra thinks the media suffers from "Alex Rodriguez Derangement Syndrome."
• Maureen Mullen says that no matter what has happened, Alex Rodriguez leaves baseball with his love of the game intact.
• But is he going to leave baseball? Jayson Stark talked to 24 baseball executives and asked them if another team would sign A-Rod.
• In other retirement news, Prince Fielder tearfully announced that "I can’t play Major League Baseball anymore."
• Jean-Jacques Taylor writes about how Fielder leaned on his family to get him through this tough time.
• Grant Brisbee has an appreciation of Fielder, his career and his beautiful and dangerous swing.
• If the doctors told you that you had to retire from baseball and couldn’t hang around the Texas Rangers clubhouse anymore, what would you do one last time before you left? Of course you’d do what Prince Fielder did: you’d touch Adrian Beltre on the head one last time. What’s he going to say at at time like that? He’s just going to have to take it.
• Claire McNear looks at some retirements this season and wonders which way is the best way to go out? Of course, the final way she lists is the best.
• Mets manager Terry Collins went on a nearly four-minute rant after the team’s 9-0 loss to the Diamondbacks. He came this close to going full Elia. You never want to go full Elia.
• Roger Rubin points out that Collins’ reaction is a sign that his own job is in jeopardy.
• The Astros designated former all-star Carlos Gomez for assignment.
• Jeff Sullivan takes a look at Gomez and what any team signing him will have to try to fix.
• Over at the "other" BCB, Kyle Lesniewski says the Brewers should resist the temptation to bring Gomez back.
• Sticking with the Brewers, in yesterday’s game against the Braves they became only the 16th team in baseball history to score in all nine innings. I’m guessing that at least ten of the other times was against Cubs teams of the seventies and early eighties.
• Mike Axisa finds one compelling argument for Jose Altuve for AL MVP.
• Ken Rosenthal notes that the Mariners (mostly) stayed the course at the trade deadline and it’s now paying off as they’re back in the wild card hunt.
• Phillies all-star Odubel Herrera hasn’t been playing much lately and Bill Baer wonders if the team might try to deal him soon.
• Rockies rookie outfielder David Dahl tied a major-league record with a 17-game hitting streak to start his career.
• And Orioles closer Zach Britton set a major league record by making 39 straight appearances without allowing an earned run.
• The Padres have stolen home four times already this season and that’s not the only base they are stealing, notes Jeff Sullivan.
• Jon Heyman reports that the Braves have asked Matt Kemp to lose weight this offseason. Kemp has agreed.
• Will Leitch has ten questions for the rest of the regular season.
• MLB television ratings are up 5% this season. Pretty good for a dying game.
• Mike Vorkunov wonders why no one is making a big deal about Tommy La Stella when compared to Yasiel Puig.
• And Patrick Sauer notes that Clayton Kershaw sent every member of the Los Angeles Rams a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue, raising questions about Kershaw character and the seriousness of which he takes his career. Satirically, of course.
• The National Baseball Congress team with Roger Clemens and a bunch of other retired major leaguers lost a game. And some young man from Kansas got to brag about getting a hit off of Roger Clemens.
• Orioles fan Randy DeCleene struck up a conversation with Adam Eaton at the Bub City restaurant in Chicago. DeCleene says that he’s got a new second-favorite baseball player after chatting with Eaton.
• And finally, a fan in Pittsburgh went after a foul ball and ended up with a face full of nachos instead.

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