Good morning!
Here are several go-to links to make your Monday a bit more bearable:
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Johan Santana’s no-hitter, the first in the history of the Mets franchise, would not have come to fruition had Josh Thole not been his catcher, according to Tim Rohan of the New York Times.
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Speaking of the Amazins, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reports that Obama SuperPAC contributor and sometimes-comedian Bill Maher has joined the club as a limited partner:
“I’ve always been a a baseball fan but especially a fan of the New York Mets,” Maher said before Sunday’s game vs. the Cardinals. “I’ve lived in Los Angeles almost 30 years but I’ve never stopped rooting for the Mets. That’s one thing New Yorkers don’t do, switch allegiances. And I’ve never been a fan of the DH.”
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It’s Always Sunny in Detroit has must-see video of a bases-loaded pickoff move.
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The Hardball Times’ Troy Patterson discusses Chris Sale’s successful transition from reliver to starter. And wouldn’t you know: Sale went to the mound yesterday and pitched a complete game as the White Sox topped the Mariners, 4–2.
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Heyman’s CBS colleague Matt Snyder reports that the highly sought-after Cuban defector Jorge Soler is now an unrestricted free agent:
Soler, 20, is said to be a 6-foot-3, 205 pound right fielder, who could also play center, with “explosive bat speed and power potential,” according to Baseball America — which compared him to Royals prospect Bubba Starling and noted Soler may have been a top-five pick in last year’s draft. Baseball Prospectus noted in the preseason that Soler would have been the 39th-ranked prospect in baseball, had he been signed when the list was made.
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In “If the Season Ended Today,” William Juliano of The Captain’s Blog reminds us of the folly of evulating teams based on the first 50 games of the regular season and uses the history of the Yankees as a guide.
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Via Deadspin’s Timothy Burke, National Spelling Bee contestant Emma Ciereszynski, 14, successfully spelled “sabermetrics.” On a related note, why do so many participants have surnames that are pretty much impossible to spell?
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Welcome to the How Many Altuves web page featuring, yup, dimunitive Astros infielder Jose Altuve.
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The eagerly anticipated Vin Scully bobblehead will be given away to fans attending the D’backs–Dodgers game in Chavez Ravine on August 30.
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Writing in SB Nation, Marc Normadin explains the long and arduous path that Daniel Nava, 29, took before becoming a “productive surprise for the Red Sox.”
That’s it. Have a walk-off week!