DAILY DIRT: ‘The other sports are just sports. Baseball is love.’

Take me out to the ballgame, take me out to the crowd, buy me some peanuts and cracker jack … yeah, you know how it goes. Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 308 of The Daily Dirt.

1. I’m in the mood for a little baseball talk today.

It’s June. The weather is warm. Let’s celebrate the national pastime. We’ll start with what may be my three favorite quotes about the greatest game ever invented:

Gold medal: “It’s a great day for a ball game. Let’s play two!” — Ernie Banks.

Silver medal: “I’d walk through hell in a gasoline suit to play baseball.” — Pete Rose.

Bronze medal: “This field, this game: it’s a part of our past … It reminds us of all that once was good and that could be again.” — James Earl Jones.

2. My five favorite baseball terms:

• The Mendoza Line: A .200 batting average. Named, of course, for the former weak-hitting infield, Mario Mendoza.
• Chin music: A pitch that is high and tight. Very tight.Tater: Home run.
• Tools of ignorance: Catcher’s gear. Rather unkind, but still funny.
• Uncle Charlie: A curveball.
• Worm burner: Scorching ground ball.
• Yakker: Another name for a curve.
• Can of corn: Routine fly ball.
• Southpaw: A left-handed pitcher.

3. Our weekly MLB rankings:

The top 5

1. New York Mets: Buck Showalter, National League manager of the year. At least the first half of the year.

2. New York Yankees: Aaron Boone, American League manager of the year. At least the first half of the year.

3. Houston Astros: Those “Space City” uniforms have to go.

4. Toronto Blue Jays: Shortstop Bo Bichette is rapidly becoming one of my favorite players in all of MLB.

5. Los Angeles Dodgers: The return of Clayton Kershaw will certainly help the Dodgers’ cause.

The Bottom 5

1. Kansas City Royals: Not only are they bad, they are boring.

2. Detroit Tigers: In fairness to the Tigers, they have spent much of the season with their top five starters out of action. 

3. Washington Nationals: Take Juan Soto off this team and it would be a AAA club.

4. Colorado Rockies: I’m convinced the Rockies will never return to the playoffs in my lifetime.

5. Baltimore Orioles: Likewise.(Note: for the first time this season, the Cincinnati Reds have escaped The Bottom 5.)

Steve Thought O’ The Day — Steve agrees wholeheartedly with veteran sportscaster/newsman Bryant Gumbel, who once said, “The other sports are just sports. Baseball is love.”

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. Baseball, like life, has no clock. No time limit or “sudden death” overtime. You know there is an end to the game, but never exactly when… just like life.