I got the Covid vaccine, I got the second dose, I got my booster, I’ll get another one this year if it’s recommended, I’m glad about all of that. I think other people should get it too, and I think doubts about its safety should be naturally declining (because if safety was the question, as some said it was, the data’s only getting stronger on that front as time goes on). A good friend of mine from high school is recovering from leukemia and is now severely immunocompromised, and it’s maddening that she and others in similar circumstances have to isolate themselves more aggressively from other humans due to what, for a lot of people, is a prideful, culture war decision.
At the same time, Dan Shaughnessy is annoying the shit out of me.
The man who invented the Curse of the Bambino reveled giddily in the Red Sox’ loss last night in Toronto, a loss which came in the ninth inning when Tyler Danish and Hansel Robles combined to allow two runs on three hits and a walk while recording a combined zero outs. Why was Dan Shaughnessy so happy? Well, he got to talk about how the normal closer, Tanner Houck, wasn’t allowed across Canada’s border because he’s unvaccinated:
There are a lot of takes here that make sense. The take that Tanner Houck is, more likely than not, being a jackass about the vaccine is one of them. Just get the vaccine, Tanner, or tell your fans a good reason why you won’t. It’s not the point so much as it’s the giddiness from Shaughnessy that’s bothersome. And the repetition. Soon-returning Red Sox ace Chris Sale, who is also currently banned from Canada, has been the subject of the exact same not funny joke at least six separate times now from Shaughnessy in the last six weeks, and that’s just on Twitter. Who knows how many times he’s told it to his friend?
The thing about this that’s loathsome is that for Shaughnessy, Houck (or Sale) getting vaccinated is not the goal. Shaughnessy doesn’t want what’s best for Houck, or for Sale, or for people relying on herd immunity in the absence of their own. Shaughnessy wants to whale on people he looks down on, and he wants to whale on the Red Sox for “enabling” them (or some word like that), and he doesn’t want to go to the trouble of examining trade markets in the National League or the fluid legal situation in Canada or doing any legitimate analysis about this all. The same guy who famously threw Theo Epstein under the bus in the Boston press at Larry Lucchino’s request is, believe it or not, being an ass once more. Who’s more annoying here, between Shaughnessy and Houck? That’s a distracting, useless question. They’re both being dicks.
Is Joe Kelly Better Than Mike Trout?
Joe Kelly almost domed Mike Trout last night, which would have been terrible in all sorts of ways. Thankfully he didn’t, and Trout instead fisted a soft liner out to the middle of right field. Joe Kelly did go on to allow a run on the inning, but it wouldn’t have been an earned run if Shohei Ohtani’s pop-up to the warning track had simply hit AJ Pollock’s body on its way down.
Anyway, Joe Kelly basically retired the two best hitters in the game. In a battle of the sport’s best pitcher and its best hitters, the best pitcher won.
Not Just a Loan
Imagine a bank giving you money you expect to pay back, and then calling you up and saying, “Hey, you know that money we gave you? You don’t have to give that back.” Pretty fun, right?
That’s what’s evidently happening with Burnley and CJ Egan-Riley, who will now reportedly not be just a loan from Manchester City, but a permanent addition. We’ll see what exactly happens with this, but it’s great news. Might cost Burnley a little more money, so it’s not exactly like the bank metaphor, but they’d be spending that anyway, slash this would make a Nathan Collins sale more palatable, which could help the financial situation too, as that continues to loom in the background.
**
Viewing schedule, today/tonight:
12:10 PM EDT: Brewers @ Rays (MLB TV, second screen)
Lot of daytime baseball today. This is the most consequential. We’ve got Wimbledon on the main TV. Alcaraz will be playing.
3:45 PM EDT: Tigers @ Giants (MLB TV)
AT&T Park is good background TV. During day games. Ambience and whatnot.
8:05 PM EDT: Reds @ Cubs (MLB TV/ESPN+)
Similar phenomenon to Keegan Thompson where I don’t want to jinx Justin Steele by being too excited about his starts. Moving on, then.
9:38 PM EDT: White Sox @ Angels (MLB TV)
Will Joe Kelly appear in back-to-back games? Depends if he’s needed, folks (I assume).
