MLB Bullets is performing without a net

Good morning Friday. Let’s get some facts out of the way to start. Major league ballplayers are hitting the ball much harder than they did in years past and new stadiums are built with far less foul territory than before so that fans can be “closer to the action.” That doesn’t even take into account all the distractions during a major league game, many of which are created by the team.

• Normally the biggest news of the day takes place on the field or in the front office. But the biggest news today took place in the stands at Yankee Stadium where a toddler was taken to the hospital after being struck with a foul ball.
• Commissioner Rob Manfred says that in light of the incident, MLB is “redoubling” its efforts to extend the netting at ballparks.
• Craig Calcaterra writes that twice nothing is still nothing, in reference to the netting.
• Jeff Passan writes that MLB’s excuses for not extending the netting are “morally repugnant.”
• Matt Snyder refutes every argument against extending the netting. Included in that piece is a link to a video from HBO’s Real Sports where they show it is physically impossible for some people to get out of the way of a foul ball.
• Grant Brisbee examines the downside of extending netting and finds them too small to take seriously.
• Bob Nightengale thinks that if MLB won’t extend the netting, fans must respond by not buying tickets.
• Michael McCann looks at the legal issues of liability concerning fans and foul balls.
• The Rockies say they will extend their netting to start the 2018 season.
• As do the Padres and Mariners.
• Moving on from the nets, Mike Lupica is looking forward to what should be a terrific postseason.
• Will Leitch notes that there is a chance that for the first time in history, baseball could have four 100 win teams. Although the Nationals will have to go 8-2 over their final ten games. Yes, they are playing lousy teams but they also pretty much locked in as the second-seed in the NL, so they have nothing to play for.
• Michael Baumann makes the cases for and against those four teams to be the best team in baseball.
• Jonah Keri believes that the Diamondbacks have a solid chance to upset the power teams and win it all.
• Dayn Perry makes a similar case for the Yankees, whom he calls a lot better than you probably think they are.
• Neil Paine notes that of the ten teams that are going to make the playoffs, the Twins really don’t belong here, and he means that as a compliment. It’s a testament to their young stars that they’re likely going to play in the Wild Card game, where they will face the toughest road to the World Series that any team has ever faced.
• But it’s not just the young stars. You may not have noticed, but Twins first baseman Joe Mauer has been terrific since May.
• In a companion piece to that one linked to last time about the Indians clubhouse, Tim Keown takes a look behind the curtain of the Dodgers clubhouse.
• The Twins might not be ahead of the Angels, were it not for DH Albert Pujols having the worst season ever by a 37 year old MLB player, writes Marc Normandin.
• Craig Edwards finds it weird that Pujols’ teammate, Mike Trout, has never won a playoff game.
• Dave Cameron explains why the Rockies have the edge for that second Wild Card spot in the NL.
• Travis Sawchik takes an idea from Korean baseball he thinks would to improve the Wild Card: Have the two teams play a two-game series and the lower-ranked team would have to win both games to advance. Thoughts? Is this a good idea or a bad one? I’m not sure.
• Here’s a hot take that I’m sure will anger many of you. Sam Miller writes that compared to the American League, the National League stinks.
• Jerry Crasnick tells the tale of Giancarlo Stanton’s amazing 2018 season through the eyes of his teammates and coaches.
• He did it! With his 37th home run this season, Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas just broke the most pathetic home run record in the game, the Royals single-season record. Steve “Bye-Bye” Balboni issued his congratulations.
• Have you seen former two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum? If you have, you’re probably the only one. Daniel Brown goes looking for The Freak and comes up empty. To be clear, Lincecum is not missing, although even the Giants don’t know how to get in touch with him. He just wants to be left alone. (Nor is he officially retired and he reportedly would like to pitch again.) (h/t Hardball Talk)
• Former outfielder Raul Mondesi has been sentenced to eight years in prison in the Dominican Republic on corruption charges.
• Jon Heyman has 60 heroes from the 2017 season.
• Anthony Castrovince has the post-All Star Game all-stars.
• The Mets expect that manager Terry Collins will retire at the end of the season. I guess that’s better than being fired.
• Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said that despite speculation to the contrary, it is “highly unlikely” that the team will non-tender Matt Harvey this winter.
• Tigers manager Brad Ausmus admitted that he’s going to be fired at the end of the season. Mark Townsend thinks that is for the best, both for the Tigers and Ausmus.
• Jon Heyman speaks with fired Twins minor league manager Doug Mientkiewicz about why he thinks he got fired and what he’s learned from all this.
• Brewers pitcher Jimmy Nelson is expected to miss “a chunk” of the 2018 season recovering from shoulder surgery.
• Puerto Rican athletes are stepping up the fundraising efforts to help rebuild their home after two hurricanes this fall.
• Jon Heyman reports that the Orioles will not trade Manny Machado this winter. He’s a free agent at the end of 2018.
• The Padres signed Clayton Richard to a two-year contract extension.
• Some artist renditions of the new Rangers stadium.
• Chris Cwik looks at one woman’s quest to learn the truth about her great-grandfather, White Stockings (Cubs) pitcher Larry Corcoran. I think I heard from this woman about six years ago after the piece I wrote for our “100 Greatest Cubs” list on Corcoran. I unfortunately didn’t have much to add to tell her, but she did tell me that the family story was that it was the drinking that did him in.
• Mike Oz opens 1992 baseball cards with Curtis Granderson. I include this one because the Chicago native has the most unusual reason for why he didn’t like the Cubs growing up. (And no, he wasn’t a White Sox fan either. He had a particular reason for not liking day baseball.)
• The Indians rookies dressed up as superheroes for their road trip. That’s still allowed, as long as it’s voluntary. But I like Joe Maddon’s way of having the whole team dress up better.
• And finally, remember that Phillies phan who said he’d buy chicken nuggets for everyone if Rhys Hoskins hit a home run? He was at Citizens’ Bank Ballpark on Tuesday passing out free chicken nuggets. (I’m guessing the team helped him with the costs. Great promotional work, Phillies.)

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