The Day I Dropped The Ball

The Day I Dropped The Ball

So, there I was, on a company outing at Target Field in rainy Minneapolis last week when I found myself making eye contact with a player on my fantasy team — Colorado Rockies center fielder Brenton Doyle.

Between innings, outfielders loosen up the joints by playing a little catch with each other or the bullpen catcher (aka the man with the greatest job in sports). Upon completion, when the clock strikes “play ball” the Rockies RF or CF would toss their warmup ball into the stands behind them. I suppose this helps them make friends wherever they play, and maybe keeps the heckling to a minimum. It’s good practice on multiple levels.

In the middle of the 4th, Doyle was the last man holding the ball and he turned around to scan the crowd, in search of eyes to connect with lest he heave the orb at an unsuspecting face. I’m generally one to pay attention at a baseball game, so as I saw him looking around, I raised my arms as if to say, “Here I am, Brenton. I know I’m not an adorable 12-year-old in a Rockies jersey, but I’m still a fan and you’re on my fantasy team, so please toss me the ball.” And he did.

He drew back and with the flick of his right wrist, the baseball defied gravity as it sailed effortlessly to the third level.

Because I played for many years, I knew that my first step should be back. After a momentary retreat, I realized the ball was going to fall short. This presented a problem. You see, the railing in front of me was about belly button high and the drop was many feet, straight onto the field save for a few inches of deck below where folks were eating steak and watching the game on a tiny television in front of them. In a few milliseconds I thought about falling, losing my Saint Paul Saints cap, and landing face-first on a cut of meat, before awkwardly cartwheeling towards the perfectly manicured grass below. I also thought about catching the ball.

I extended a bit, then a little farther, then a little more until my arms were (I think) at their natural extension capacity. The ball hung in the air forever. Eventually it landed on the fingertips of my left hand and dropped to the small third deck lip below me, before it slow-rolled and eventually dropped onto the steak eating level beneath me.

Dejected, I looked at my hands, my ring finger stinging slightly, and then at Brenton; he was staring at me with his palm and glove in the air like “Dude.” And, because I needed him to have a good game (for my fantasy team) I decided to wear the blame 100%. I pointed at myself with both thumbs as if to say, “That’s on me, BD.”

My coworkers consoled and/or gave me grief for the rest of the game, and week. Ultimately, I may have been able to catch the ball, but it also needed to be tossed about a foot farther for that to have happened with any semblance of ease. Nonetheless, it still irks me.

Brenton Doyle went 2-4 that day with a run, two RBIs and a steal. I was 0-1 but learned a valuable lesson: always bring your glove to the dang ballpark.

Waiver Wire Considerations

Gavin Williams, SP, Cleveland Guardians (50% owned in Yahoo!)
Last night I was thinking: are there players available right now that I’ll still have in two weeks, or a month from now? The answer was “no.” I don’t think there’s an arm on the wire right now that’ll be more valuable than Williams when he gets activated (which should be soon). Invest now, even if he has to take up a non-IL slot.

Jeffrey Springs, SP, Tampa Bay Rays (17% owned in Yahoo!)
If The Athletic didn’t have such a terrible search function, I could find the thing I read about Springs after his last rehab start—to paraphrase, his pitch shapes look the same as they did pre-injury when he was dominant. He’s slated to return in early July, so if you have Bobby Miller (who is starting Wednesday) activate him and add Springs to your IL.

Andrew Vaughn, 1B, Chicago White Sox (38% owned in Yahoo!)
This guy has tormented us for years, but over the past week he’s been one of the best 1B in fantasy—and in the last month he has an .820 OPS. Is it finally clicking for Vaughn, the 3rd overall pick in 2019? Maybe. Is the long-awaited breakout upon us? He’s hitting the ball hard and all over the field so take the chance, and see how the next two weeks unfold.

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