Jayson Stark On Trea Turner Finally Coming Up Big
The Phillies are in a bad way. We are getting close to Memorial Day, and they are still not living up to expectations. The Starting Pitching is a mess. The bats have not woken up yet. The fielding is awful. And they are making stupid mistakes on the base path still. But today, they took a step in the right direction. After trailing the Diamondbacks 5-0, they came back to avoid a sweep. With Trea Turner playing hero by hitting a game tying 2 run shot in the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs. And following that big moment and win, Jayson Stark joined The Best Show Ever.
One of the things he weighed in on was Trea Turner’s big moment.
“That was a moment that felt like it was waiting to happen. Trea Turner is not close to as bad as he has looked. He has just gotten into the mode of swinging at everything he sees. He’s number 10 in the MLB at swinging at pitches out of the strike zone. With the worst contact rate when he swing s at those. I don’t know why anyone throws him strikes. But he got one in the bottom of the 9th, and he made them pay.”
Jayson Stark also talked about the upcoming road trip where they will face both the Braves and the Mets.
“Its definitely a huge trip… I don’t think they will win the division anyway. These opportunities to make up ground head to head are more rare now… Lets see where they are. I don’t even know. But I do wonder if today has meaning, both for Trea Turner and the team. Because the body language for the team the last two weeks has been really bad.”
You can listen to the full conversation with Jayson Stark below:
The Stadium Series, and 11 Other Over Rated Sporting Events
Rose Bowl, And All College Bowl Games That Aren't The Playoffs
Ever since they instituted the playoffs, every other Bowl game just lacks any luster. The Rose Bowl used to be a big deal. Did anyone other than Penn State or Utah fans care about it last year? They have taken to calling the first games in the Playoffs The Peach Bowl and The Fiesta Bowl. So those Bowl games still matter. But that is only because those games decide who advances to the Championship game. The Orange Bowl, the Rose Bowl, and all those other Bowls that used to be a big deal, they don’t matter much anymore though.
A lot of the best players don’t even play in them anymore. The guys projected to go high, often opt out. Because why would they risk injury in what is essentially an exhibition game now?
The NCAA should do something to fix this. It is a shame The Rose Bowl doesn’t have the same luster it used to. It’s been reduced to being no better than the random bowls like the Belko Bowl or The Pinstripe Bowl. But for now, the draw just isn’t there.
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Every All-Star Game
Why do All-Star Games suck so badly? Seeing the best of the best compete against each other should be fun. But in every league, it has become kind of a joke. No one tries in any of them. Which again, is fair enough considering its an exhibition and why would you risk injury to gain nothing? But that fact doesn’t make these games any more fun to watch. The Pro Bowl was so bad they got rid of it. No defense is played in the NBA game. The NHL is not much better.
MLB used to be the lone standout. But now that it no longer decides home-field, it isn’t much fun either. Not saying that they should make it determine home-field advantage again. But now that its just another exhibition game, there is no reason for the players to try, or for the fans to care.
(Photo by Kyle Terada – Pool/Getty Images)
