And your update on Freddie Freeman! Oh Molly, he is an absolute legend. To know what he was dealing with when doing heroic things in the World Series is gob-smacking. I too have watched his walk off grand slam several times. It’s the best. And Joe Davis saying “Gibby, meet Freddie” hits me in the heart every time.
My favorite playoff at bat as a Braves fan will always be Francisco Cabrera (third string catcher with 10 MLB at bats all season) vs Stan Belinda for the 1992 NL pennant, so I have no interest in this crap.
Do you remember that crazy day they call “the greatest hour of baseball ever”? It was about 15 years ago and 3 games that decided who got into the playoffs all ended in about an hour. Reason I bring that up is that in the last game - I think it was the Braves - they were down to their last guy on the bench, whose average was about .100. And he homered, and although I don’t recall his name, it will always be one of my favorite moments ever BECAUSE a lesser player rose to the biggest moment of his life. If they randomly dropped Bob Horner in there I would have forgot it in an hour
Are you thinking of Game 162 in 2011? That was when my Red Sox missed out on the playoffs on the last day in part because Dan Johnson tied the game for the Rays with a ninth-inning homer, and the Rays went on to win. It was absolutely brutal, and decidedly epic.
As I've said about this stupid rule in other places: I'm here as a damned Red Sox fan to declare that any rule that would take away that moment, Aaron Boone, and Bucky F'ing Dent would be a freaking travesty.
Nice column Molly. You should consider your new word for submission to Webster.
Golden AB:
Tony Kornheiser (he of PTI fame) has the best interpretation of this rule. He essentially said (and try to read in his voice): "The idea is stupid. It already exists. It's called a "pinch hitter". "
Which leads to a point that I've been meaning to make somewhere: The need for 4000 pitchers a year per team has eliminated the slot held by a guy who just can swing the bat. Guys like Rusty Staub, Jason Giambi, John Kruk ... or your star who otherwise was resting (Dodgers fans can use this moment to think about Kirk Gibson again today) who would just grab a bat and make the pitcher work just that much harder at a key moment.
All of that sacrificed to the need to throw every pitch 129 MPH.
Today, the choice has narrowed: Should I use my back-up catcher here to hit for so and so?
THIS is RIDICULOUS!!! So Aaron Judge is at bat in the bottom of the ninth with bases loaded and the Spanks down by 3 with 1 out and he strikes out. Then the Yanks send him up immediately again for 3 more strikes???! No frickin’ way. That’s STUPID! Nope. Idiotic idea.
I still oppose the designated hitter. But the recent changes have been great. The golden at-bat? Manfred just gave up any good will he earned for the recent ideas.
about Soto… I would love it if he signed with Toronto - would upend the narrative for the AL East (was all NYY v Sox, with BAL not yet accepted as an authentic ‘historic’ franchise); would be fabulous to see him in games against the Yankees! But really, not going to happen
Idea seems pretty crazy. Jason Gay in the WSJ had a funny column on the idea today. I was SO lucky to be at the Freddie walk off slam game. People were even chanting Freddie, Freddie in the bathrooms afterwards, with it echoing off the tiled walls. Cracked me up.
I've had a bit of a rough autumn/early winter, which doesn't bear discussion. But I will say this: Freddie Freeman in the World Series brought me SO much joy. He went through a year 100x worse than anything I've ever lived through and deserves every accolade, every laurel, and every kind and friendly casual fan interaction at the nearest Von's. Rewatching his Game One slam brought back all the feels.
And I'm not even a Dodgers fan!
Molly, I hope you're on the PosCast Holiday Draft and I will be rooting for you, as I am on Team Good, not Team Sepinwall-Kander. Nor the Chaotic Neutralness of Alexis or Brandon.
Though it would be interesting to track stats on pinch hitting. I would guess that in recent years there are fewer pinch hitters put into games in general, and they are less successful. I wonder what could be done to revitalize that part of the game?
Idea for Commissioner Rob Manfred: use the pitch clock for all brainstorming sessions. Golden At Bat card makes as much sense as a golden toilet.
And your update on Freddie Freeman! Oh Molly, he is an absolute legend. To know what he was dealing with when doing heroic things in the World Series is gob-smacking. I too have watched his walk off grand slam several times. It’s the best. And Joe Davis saying “Gibby, meet Freddie” hits me in the heart every time.
I couldn't agree more, and I'm not even a Dodgers fan (I'm Brewers 1, Twins 2). But I am now a confirmed Freddie Freeman fan, laundry be damned.
We are Brewers fans in our house too! Also Packers fans. Because Wisconsin relatives.
Manfred probably thinks golden toilets are cool.
Meh, they’re just a piece of metal
My favorite playoff at bat as a Braves fan will always be Francisco Cabrera (third string catcher with 10 MLB at bats all season) vs Stan Belinda for the 1992 NL pennant, so I have no interest in this crap.
Do you remember that crazy day they call “the greatest hour of baseball ever”? It was about 15 years ago and 3 games that decided who got into the playoffs all ended in about an hour. Reason I bring that up is that in the last game - I think it was the Braves - they were down to their last guy on the bench, whose average was about .100. And he homered, and although I don’t recall his name, it will always be one of my favorite moments ever BECAUSE a lesser player rose to the biggest moment of his life. If they randomly dropped Bob Horner in there I would have forgot it in an hour
Are you thinking of Game 162 in 2011? That was when my Red Sox missed out on the playoffs on the last day in part because Dan Johnson tied the game for the Rays with a ninth-inning homer, and the Rays went on to win. It was absolutely brutal, and decidedly epic.
As I've said about this stupid rule in other places: I'm here as a damned Red Sox fan to declare that any rule that would take away that moment, Aaron Boone, and Bucky F'ing Dent would be a freaking travesty.
Nice column Molly. You should consider your new word for submission to Webster.
Golden AB:
Tony Kornheiser (he of PTI fame) has the best interpretation of this rule. He essentially said (and try to read in his voice): "The idea is stupid. It already exists. It's called a "pinch hitter". "
Which leads to a point that I've been meaning to make somewhere: The need for 4000 pitchers a year per team has eliminated the slot held by a guy who just can swing the bat. Guys like Rusty Staub, Jason Giambi, John Kruk ... or your star who otherwise was resting (Dodgers fans can use this moment to think about Kirk Gibson again today) who would just grab a bat and make the pitcher work just that much harder at a key moment.
All of that sacrificed to the need to throw every pitch 129 MPH.
Today, the choice has narrowed: Should I use my back-up catcher here to hit for so and so?
THIS is RIDICULOUS!!! So Aaron Judge is at bat in the bottom of the ninth with bases loaded and the Spanks down by 3 with 1 out and he strikes out. Then the Yanks send him up immediately again for 3 more strikes???! No frickin’ way. That’s STUPID! Nope. Idiotic idea.
All one has to do is peruse the comments on Stark’s article.
Universal Pan.
Rotten Tomatoes score = Matt Gaetz Minus
Can we stick Manfred in Trump cabinet as UnderSecretary of Ruining American Games
enshittification = my new fave word! May I plz borrow it for the next convenient opportunity? I promise I'll return it in pristine condition.
I still oppose the designated hitter. But the recent changes have been great. The golden at-bat? Manfred just gave up any good will he earned for the recent ideas.
about Soto… I would love it if he signed with Toronto - would upend the narrative for the AL East (was all NYY v Sox, with BAL not yet accepted as an authentic ‘historic’ franchise); would be fabulous to see him in games against the Yankees! But really, not going to happen
So what is the Golden Bat?
Just a hunk of metal.....
Idea seems pretty crazy. Jason Gay in the WSJ had a funny column on the idea today. I was SO lucky to be at the Freddie walk off slam game. People were even chanting Freddie, Freddie in the bathrooms afterwards, with it echoing off the tiled walls. Cracked me up.
The only thing I hate more than the golden at bat is how much oxygen Jayson Stark gave it. He’s usually better than that.
The golden AB is, of course, a stupid stupid idea.
And Molly, I’m glad I’m not the only one who keeps rewatching Feeddie’s slam.
Love the snark. My opinion on the Golden At-Bat is not fit to print.
I've had a bit of a rough autumn/early winter, which doesn't bear discussion. But I will say this: Freddie Freeman in the World Series brought me SO much joy. He went through a year 100x worse than anything I've ever lived through and deserves every accolade, every laurel, and every kind and friendly casual fan interaction at the nearest Von's. Rewatching his Game One slam brought back all the feels.
And I'm not even a Dodgers fan!
Molly, I hope you're on the PosCast Holiday Draft and I will be rooting for you, as I am on Team Good, not Team Sepinwall-Kander. Nor the Chaotic Neutralness of Alexis or Brandon.
"Enshittification" is another term for "platform decay" and that is exactly what the Golden At-Bat is about. https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/21/potemkin-ai/#hey-guys
Though it would be interesting to track stats on pinch hitting. I would guess that in recent years there are fewer pinch hitters put into games in general, and they are less successful. I wonder what could be done to revitalize that part of the game?