Come Inside My Mind

Really, it's okay!  I'm harmless.

-Watched a little bit of the Yankees-Red Sox game after the conclusion of our first fall ball game.  Lead to a couple of observations: First, Major League Baseball should either repeal the agreement that allows a player to play while appealing their suspension.  I like the option of immediate hearings to determine the outcome.

If it is a complicated situation, like A-Rod says he has, the player and the league both know it's complicated and should be prepared to defend or prosecute.  If it is an immediate situation, like a brawl, it is a heat of the moment battle, and should be defended or prosecuted as such.

I'd love to know what's so complicated A-Rod's situation: You were a patient at a clinic closed for illegal activity.  The other patients at that clinic, who have distanced themselves from you, have been suspended and accepted said suspension. Seems pretty clear.  While I know A-Rod has the most to lose or gain, he can be a significant part of a Yankee resurgence.  A deserving team, with players who followed the rules, could get cheated out of a playoff appearance.

-USA Softball won the Pan Am games qualifier over the weekend.  It's about the fifth or sixth in a row, and the championship game was no contest, and 8-1 blowout over Canada.  As much as I would love to see softball and baseball restored to the Olympic Games, it could be a long time before it happens. One country shouldn't dominate an event this way.

-An honest fan of baseball would enjoy watching softball at the college level and above.  The plays happen quickly, expected when adults play on the same size diamond my twelve year-old daughter uses.  The absolute speed and power plays happen on a softball field are amazing.   I suggest baseball fans watch the National Pro Fastpitch Championship, beginning this Thursday, August 22 through Saturday in Rosemont, IL.  It's a good, clean game played very hard.

So...am I off base?