Jack Suwinski and Kyle Schwarber

There were many time over the course of the last baseball season that I would ask my Pirates fans friends  "Just what exactly do we think of Jack Suwinski?"

For you non-Pirates followers out there, Suwinski led the Pirates in home run last season with 26 and was, in fact, due to the absence of Oneil Cruz all season, the Pirates only real home run threat.  I never had much faith in him because it seemed to me that whenever he was needed to come through for the team, he was more likely to strike out than hit a gap shot double or three run homer. 

My friend Fred Egler says that he us the exact type of player for whom PNC Park was built - a left handed power hitter, so that we need to be patient, and maybe he will become this decade's version of Dave Kingman, although to be fair, Suwinski has proven to be a much better outfield that Kingman ever was, an admittedly low bar to clear.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  Pirates beat writerJason Mackey has stated that Suwinski could become for the Pirates what Kyle Schwarber has become for the Phillies (and other teams).  Really?   

This called for a Grandstander Spreadsheet.

	Jack Suwinski 2023	Kyle Schwarber 2023	Schwarber 2017	Schwarber 2018	Suwinski 2022-23
AB	447	585	486	428	773
HR	26	47	30	26	45
RBI	74	104	59	61	112
K	172	215	150	140	286
BB	75	126	59	78	116
Batting Ave	0.224	0.197	0.211	0.238	0.215
On Base %	0.339	0.340	0.315	0.356	0.382
OPS	0.793	0.831	0.782	0.823	0.758

The first two columns compare the two players' 2023 seasons.   Schwarber is often praised because, while he strikes out a lot, he also draws a lot of walks, so his on base percentage offsets the negative aspects of all those K's.  In fact, Schwarber drew 51 more BB's than Suwinski, albeit with 140+ more AB's, but check out that On Base Percentage.  Nearly identical.

I also posted Schwarber's numbers for 2017 and 2018 when he was at the same relative point in his career as Suwinski is now.

So what does all of his say?   I have absolutely no idea.  In fact, I couldn't come up with anything cogent to say about it, and I almost skipped writing this up entirely. However, since I spent a good seven or eight minutes looking this stuff up and then putting in a spreadsheet, what the hell, put it out there and maybe somebody else can come up with some decent conclusions.

Upon further reflection, though, if it says anything, I guess it's that if you like the kind of ballplayer that Schwarber has fashioned himself into, then don't give up on Suwinski.  He may very well end up being that 40 HR a year power hitter who takes full advantage of that Clemente Wall in right field, and it will come at just about the time that the he becomes eligible for free agency, and we Pirates fans know what THAT means.

To Absent Friends - Tom Walker

 

Back in the summer of 1992, I had the pleasure of playing in the Pittsburgh Pirates Alumni Golf Outing (Blue Cross was and remains to this day a sponsor of that event).  Each foursome included a Pirates alumnus, or someone related the the Pirates organization.  Now at such an event, the Senior VP's and other assorted officers of the Blues get paired up with guys like Bill Mazeroski or Steve Blass or Jim Leyland.  I was paired up and rode in the cart with Tom Walker.

Mr. Walker was a very nice guy, but I had never heard of him, and in what I hope was a diplomatic manner, asked him what his connection to the Pirates was.  He told me that he had a brief career, mostly with the Tigers and the Expos, and at the end of his career, he went to spring training with the Bucs, didn't make the team and then retired from baseball.  Since he lived in the area, he maintained a relationship with the Pirates Alumni group to keep his hand in his former life.  I found him to be a very nice guy, very modest and unassuming, and it was a really nice afternoon on the course with him.  He also didn't mention and had no real reason to mention that he had a son named Neil who in that summer  was probably just graduating from Tee Ball to Coaches Pitch baseball.

Years later, through my association with SABR, I was astonished to learn that Tom Walker once pitched a 15 inning no-hitter in the minor leagues.  He never mentioned THAT during our round that day.  Me, well if I had once pitched a 15 no-hitter, at any level, I would have had "I once pitched a 15 inning no-hitter" embroidered on all my clothes.  I said that he was modest and unassuming.

In 2004 Tom's son Neil of Pine-Richland High School was the first round draft pick of the Pirates, and he went on to fashion a terrific 12 year career with the Pirates and four other teams, and now works for the Pirates as broadcaster and general baseball  ambassador in the region.   Around the time that Neil was drafted, we learned, or at least I learned, that while playing winter ball in Puerto Rico in 1972, Tom helped load the plane with relief supplies that Roberto Clemente was to deliver to Nicaragua and was planning on riding with him to deliver them that New Year's Eve day in 1972.  Clemente told him to skip it and spend the holiday with his family.  We all know what happened then.

One time, around 2008 or 2009, I had the opportunity to meet one of Tom's  other sons (I'll spare you the circumstances, and they don't really matter anyway).  Once I realized who he was, instead of asking about his now very well known brother, I told him the story of "I once played 18 holes of golf with your dad!"  He got a kick out of it.  Earlier this year, I got the chance to meet Neil Walker, and I told him the same story, and Neil loved it.   At that time, I didn't know that his dad was battling cancer, a battle that ended yesterday.

Usually when you hear of the passing of such folks, you feel bad, of course, but the passing of Tom Walker hit me deeper than just that.  

RIP Tom Walker and peace to all of the Walker family.

Father and Son

Six seasons

Tigers, Expos, Cardinals, Angels

191 games

18-23

3.87 ERA

A Word From Special Guest Blogger Linda Sproule

In response to post of two days ago, Lessons in Human Nature, my wife Linda asked for the chance to respond.  Don't worry, folks, this is the last time - I hope! - that I will feel the need to broach this subject on the Blog, but I thank you for listening/reading.

Take it away, Linda....

Dear Grandstander,

May I please have the “Stand” for a moment, to comment on your recent post titled, “Lessons in Human Nature.”

Oxford defines “Human Nature” as the “general psychological characteristics, feelings and behavioral traits of humankind, regarded as shared by all humans.”

Gossip, including sharing of judgmental opinions, non-truths and pure speculation - I believe fall into the category of “Human Nature.”

We are human and therefore, we are all guilty of “Human Nature.” We say and do things that sometimes we regret and wish we could take back. Perhaps the behavioral traits of humankind that supposedly we all share make us pause and offer apologies or prompt us for an opportunity to have a respectful discussion about our misunderstandings, hurts and angst.

“Human Nature” is a part of life. We all learn to deal.

May I please offer to your audience that a lot of the behavior I have experienced from others over the last 2 years does not fit the definition of “Human Nature” and the fact that after 2 years my husband still needs to defend me (which by the way, is one of the million reasons I am blessed to have him in my life), is beyond any understanding and are not experiences that one can simply “forgive and forget.”

Yes, I can forgive, and I have prayed for the strength to continue forgiving. I believe in the command of forgiveness.

But if someone hurts you repeatedly, you are not expected to continue to allow them to hurt you. This is no longer “Human Nature”, it is pure evil when someone continues to attack you directly to your face. The comments are extremely painful and quite unforgettable.

If anyone has a suggestion on how to “forgive AND forget” a neighbor who you have only met casually one time, feeling the need to shout out to you as you walk past your own home, “Move bitch, no one wants you here”, or “How do you sleep at night in Marilyn’s beautiful home”, please let me know. Or experiencing a neighbor feeling the need to tell you that your next-door neighbor refers to you as “The Whore next door.”

If anyone has a suggestion on how to address “friends” continued comments that “it was too soon”, “he can’t possibly love you after loving his wife for 47 years”, “how do you allow him to post memories and pictures of Marilyn?”, “how do you still allow pictures of her in the house?”, please let me know.

I forgive, but please don’t expect me to ever forget.

And for those of you who inevitably are thinking, well, you put this stuff on Facebook, what do you expect? Stop following us. Stop reading Bob’s posts. If you really care, (which I know 99 percent of you truly do and I thank God every day for your love and support, especially for Bob), then you would know that my husband finds the utmost comfort in his posts and blogs. It’s part of who he is and a large part of his grief journey. If you are not familiar with what is a grief journey, it’s a lifelong process that follows no rules, regulations, paths, and is an extremely unique journey for everyone who finds themselves unfortunately on one. I have wholeheartedly stood beside Bob in his grief journey and if someone feels the need to judge me in a human nature way or evil way because of my life/love decisions, go ahead and bring it. Marilyn will always be honored in this house, in our lives. The pictures and memories of her will always be alive in this home that Bob has graciously and lovingly opened to me. I will always hang 3 stockings on our fireplace. She loved Christmas and we will never forget her love for Christmas. We will always celebrate her birthday and go to mass on the anniversary of her death. I will always embrace the words “I still miss and love her.”

As our dear friend, Tim Baker put it best, “some people are incapable of processing emotional and intellectual situations that are more complex than a bumper sticker....people can’t deal with it, it’s over their heads.”

Mr. Grandstander, I suggest we take heed to these wise words. No one can possibly understand what we have, and I personally am okay with that.

So here’s my new bumper sticker - “I AM MARRIED TO THE GRANDSTANDER. LIFE IS GOOD!”

An Improbable Win for the Steelers

First, the sad news.

I was supposed to be at the the Steelers - Rams game at SoFi Stadium in LA yesterday.  Booked a hotel, made airline reservations, and bought two tickets to the game from the Rams website back in September.  I would be visiting and going to the game with my nephew Zach Stoner who lives in LaLaLand.  We were going to visit the Motion Picture Academy Museum on Saturday and go to the game on Sunday, and on Sunday night, I was going to visit with grade school and high school buddy Bill Tarrant, also now residing in LA, in the hotel bar where we would drink and tell lies about the good old days until who knows  what time.  It was going to be one whale of a trip.

Then there was the medical incident that I had that required two nights in the hospital at the beginning of the month. I got home and rethought the whole thing about flying three thousand miles by myself, and came to the conclusion that discretion was the better part of valor, and Linda and I decided that I should not make the trip.  So I canceled the hotel reservation, got credit for my flight tickets, and gave the tickets to Zach, who took a buddy and enjoyed what was essentially a home game for the Steelers. It was the correct decision, but I hated it.

Then there was the game itself.

Frankly, I didn't have high hopes for this one, as the Steelers' play, even with a 3-2 record, has been spotty at best and that is being kind, and being down 9-3 at the half with the Rams set to receive the second half kick-off, well, it wasn't looking good for the Black and Gold.  Then this guy made his presence felt:

The Rams did everything that they could to take TJ Watt out of the game, double and triple teaming him, and in fact, Watt recorded only one tackle and no sacks or pressures in the entire game.  However, on the Rams first play of the half, he intercepted Matt Stafford's pass and returned it to the Rams seven yard line, whereupon the Steelers scored and took a 10-9 lead.  Even though the Rams would later score and take a 17-10 lead, Watt's interception completely changed the tenor and tone of the game in the Steelers favor.

A word about TJ Watt.  He is a completely incredible and dominating player.  He is a leading candidate, if not THE leading candidate, for Defensive Player of The Year once again, and on a team with a history of great defensive players like Joe Greene, Jack Ham, Jack Lambert, Mel Blount, James Harrison, and Troy Polamalu, Watt stands in no one's shadow.  Watt has been a significant factor in all of the Steelers victories this season.  And try this stat on for size.  In Steelers games in which Watt has played since joining the team, the Steelers are 63-28-2 (.683).  When he hasn't played, the team is 1-10.  He is an amazing and truly remarkable player.

Back to the game.  Once again, Kenny Pickett turned on the jets in the fourth quarter, led the team on two long TD drives, and notched his fifth fourth quarter comeback in his 18 games as a Steeler.  Why, oh why, can't he put together games for four quarters where he plays like he always seems to do in the fourth quarter?  What the hell, let's blame that on Matt Canada!

Before I leave the Steelers, how about this from the Post-Gazette's  Joe Starkey today about Rams coach John McVay:

Quick aside here: I’m still marveling at the explanation Rams coach Sean McVay gave for Watt’s interception. I’m not even sure Bill Belichick himself could translate the depths of football jargon to which McVay descended.

“Bottom line is, we had hitches on the outside, little option route from the three spot and seams at the two spot,” he said. “We obviously thought it was going to be a single high, Levi Wallace rolled up as a cloud, got Cooper working an option on the ‘mike,’ and you don’t feel that overlap from the hook player when Watt ended up dropping out of there. And that’s what led to the turnover.”

Thanks, coach. 

I couldn't resist including that.  Did you ever hear such bullshit coachspeak in your life?

Other football news in the region this weekend wasn't so good.

Ohio State 20 - Ohio State 12

Two undefeated teams, both ranked in the Top Ten in what was one of the more highly anticipated games of the season, and has been the case throughout most of his tenure, HC James Franklin and his Nittany Lions came up small when the lights were the brightest.  Franklin is now 1-9 against Ohio State as the HC of Penn State. Not a small sample size.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I never root for Penn State to lose (with some exceptions), but I sure love seeing it when James Franklin spits the bit.

Wake Forest 21 - Pitt 17

Circumstances were such that I didn't see much this game, but rather listened to it on the radio while out driving.  Pitt scored a TD to take a 17-14 lead with 1:30 left in the game. Announcer Pat Bostic then said that Wake still had all three time outs remaining, so this one "isn't over yet."  At that point I said to Linda, "I'll bet you now that Pitt will lose this game."  And they did.  I'll spare you the gruesome details, but Pitt now stands 2-5. will probably not make bowl eligibility, and HC Pat Narduzzi is headed towards the worst season of his tenure.

Coming up this week: Notre Dame at South Bend.  Good luck with that one.

I mentioned that I listened to the game on the radio.  Eighty-five year old Billy "Ask Him Why He Doesn't Have a Driver's License" Hillgrove was in Los Angeles preparing to broadcast the Steelers game the next day, so play-by-play duties fell to Jeff Hathorn.  What a pleasure to hear a coherent play-by-play announcer.  No "he's tackled by a guy in the Wake backfield."  Competency at the mic was so refreshing.

Lessons in Human Nature

As we make our journeys around the sun (72 trips and counting for me), we continue learn more and more about human nature, both in ourselves and those around us, and Yours Truly is no exception, and I have learned a lot - A LOT - about human nature in the two years since my wife Marilyn passed away, and especially since I found a new relationship and a new marriage with Linda.

I can say that most people are kind and happy for the both of us, but then there are others.  I have neighbors who will not speak to me anymore, who will turn their heads and walk the other way when they see Linda and me coming their way.  I have other acquaintances who, while they may not be actually hostile about it, will refuse to acknowledge Linda, won't ask about her, and if they see us together, might grudgingly say hello to her.  When confronted about it, the usual response goes something like "Well, I just cared so much for Marilyn, that it's hard for me to see you with someone else."  The implication here is that I DIDN'T care for her, which offends me on so many levels I can't even begin to list them all.

I think that they feel like they are honoring Marilyn's memory by treating my new wife like shit, when in fact, Marilyn would be completely and totally appalled by such behavior.

Here is an example that occurred just last night.  We were leaving church after Mass (let that sink in: we were leaving church after Mass) when a woman of my acquaintance from not only church but from my Retiree Club and from the Caring Place walked up to us in the parking lot, said hi to me and asked me a couple of questions about the Club.  She completely ignored Linda.  As we got to our car and she walked on to her car I couldn't contain myself, and I said to her "I really want to thank you for completely ignoring and not acknowledging Linda just now.  Feel good about that, do you?"   No response but a blank look.

Contrast this to our experience on our Delaware vacation last month.  During the course of the week, we had occasion to say to various people that we met, that "we're newlyweds, we got married just nine months ago."  The response was universal:  "How wonderful" "congratulations" "how exciting".  Total strangers couldn't be happier.  Some people that we've known forever, not so much.

Such reactions over the past few years have caused me to winnow out many people from my Facebook Friends list, so many of  the people that I am writing about in this piece will never see this.  To those of you reading this who have been nothing but gracious, we thank you.

Movie Review: "Killers of the Flower Moon"

Since I first became aware of this movie in the Spring, and since I read David Grann's  book (see comments on that HERE) in July, I have been eagerly anticipating seeing the Martin Scorsese epic, "Killers of the Flower Moon."  So much so, that Linda and I took in a 9:30 AM showing of the movie on opening day yesterday.  We were not disappointed.

Not only do you get Scorsese directing, but you get performances by Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, and an amazing performance by native American actress Lily Gladstone.  You get a sweeping story of greed, murder, and genocide in Oklahoma in the years following World War I.   And you get a movie with some absolutely stunning and breathtaking visuals, such as...

• A pull away overhead scene at the beginning of the movie of the working oil fields on the Osage land as DiCaprio drives into town from the train station.
• Scenes of chaos and rowdiness on the streets of Fairfax, OK as oil workers and Osage natives intermingle along the dirt streets with both horses and automobiles.
• An Osage wedding ceremony.
• An amazing final scene that I just don't quite know how to describe.

What you don't get, and this might surprise you considering the Scorsese/De Niro track record, is a lot of violent, bloody shoot-ups, although you do see people getting killed.  This is not "Goodfellas Goes to Oklahoma."

The story is told with the marriage of Ernest and Mollie (DiCaprio and Gladstone) as the centerpiece, and the manipulation of Di Niro's William Hale, as he pulls the strings and sets into motion his insidious plot to obtain the oil rights, rightfully owned by the Osage Indians, through marriage and murder.  (It would be too easy and almost cheap to characterize De Niro as a Godfather-like figure, so I won't do it.  Even though I just did.)   The movie is, in fact, at times leisurely and slow paced, not at all what I expected, but that didn't mean the the 3 hour and 26 minute run time dragged by at an interminable pace.  I didn't think that there was any wasted moments in the movie. 

You also don't get a police procedural movie here.  Bureau of Investigation agent Tom White (Jesse Plemons) doesn't show up until about the two hour mark and is almost a minor character.  I might have preferred seeing more of the detective work that went into the solving of the crimes, but that's just me, and it is a minor quibble considering the scope of the entire movie.

As the movie was drawing to a conclusion, I was expecting that we would get a "whatever-became-of" coda to the film with printed words on title cards before the credits began.  Well, Scorsese gave us a coda, alright, but it was done differently than anything that I have ever seen in a movie.  I'll give no spoiler here, but it was terrific.

Here is what I am expecting to see come Oscar time.  Nominations for....

• Best Picture
• Scorsese for both Directing and Screenplay (along with writing partner Eric Roth)
• Acting nominations for De Niro, DiCaprio, and Gladstone
• Rodrigo Prieto for Cinematography 

And there will probably be others.

A word about Martin Scorsese.   I don't have to list all of his great movies, do I?  If you like movies, you know who Martin Scorsese is.  On a podcast I listened to this week, critic Oliver Jones mentioned that Scorsese will turn 81 years old next month.  We have no reason to suspect that he is not in good health, but still, at age 81, who knows how many great movies he has left in him, so take the opportunity to seek out this one and enjoy and appreciate it to the fullest.

DiCaprio, Gladstone, and De Niro with Scorsese

Perhaps the best review came form Linda late last night when she said "I can't stop thinking about that movie."

Four Stars from The Grandstander.

 

The Baseball Post-Season

As I have alluded to in recent posts, recent events in my life have kept me away from The Grandstand.  So, before another game gets played, allow me to share some thoughts and opinions on the.....

MLB Post-Season

The Post Season for Major League Baseball began two weeks ago, and it has mostly been with whimpers and not bangs.  To review....

1. All four Wild Card Rounds ended in 2-0 sweeps.  A distinct lack of drama.
2. Two of the four Divisional Rounds ended in 3-0 sweeps, and the other two series were 3-1 wins.  The most exciting play of all eight rounds might well have been the 8-5-3 double play that ended Game 2 of the Phillies-Braves series and gave the Braves a win over Philly.
3. Three of the four teams that received byes into the Divisional Round lost their series by 0-3, 0-3, and 1-3.  All three of those losing teams won at least 100 games in the regular season.
4. In the League Championship Series, both the Rangers and the Phillies hold 2-0 advantages.  While I don't think it will happen, the possibility exists that these two series could also result in sweeps.  The possibility also exists that we could see ten rounds of Playoffs without a single one of them reaching an ultimate Win-or-Go-Home game (3, 5, or 7).

Of the four points above, it is #3 that is causing the most wailing and gnashing of teeth.  Not so much because the three 100 win teams - Braves, Dodgers, and Orioles - lost, but that the one week layoff that they earned from winning their  divisions is what caused them to be out of sync and at a disadvantage when playing teams that had to play actual games to get to the Divisional rounds.  The old argument of "Rest vs. Rust".  I am not sure what the answer is to this conundrum. One thing for certain is that MLB is not going to reduce the number of teams and/or rounds of playoffs.  It is or likely that they would add teams and have no team get byes.  MLB Playoffs will then turn into the NBA and NHL when it comes to the post-season, if it hasn't already.  I get a huge kick out of Michael Wilson on Pardon The Interruption continuing to scream about how MLB has opted to "delvalue the regular season."  This coming from the guy who staunchly defends just about everything that the NBA does, and if ever there is a sport with a devalued regular season, it's the National Basketball Association.

However, let's leave all that behind and concentrate on what we now have before us.

ALCS 

First off, I confess to knowing next to nothing about the Texas Rangers,  but they have been most impressive as they have stormed through the AL bracket.  They are now 7-0, including a sweep of the 100 win Baltimore Orioles.  They have an old school manager in Bruce Bochy, who was last seen winning three World Series titles with the Giants, and some really, really good young players, led by veteran Corey Seager.

The Astros, astonishingly, are playing in their SEVENTH consecutive ALCS, and we all know about the cheating scandals that engulfed them in the last decade, so it's easy to root against them.  However, they also have an Old School manager in Dusty Baker, and in Jordan Alvarez, and amazing player who seems to do nothing but hit home runs. They may be down 0-2 in the current series, but I am not selling them short in this series.

Hey you kids, GET OFF MY LAWN!!!!

Speaking of Bochy and Baker, I are the comment on Facebook two nights ago that they look like two old guys that you would see pushing a buggy by themselves at Sam's Club at 10:30 on a random weekday morning.   I make that statement with some authority because I, too, am an old guy who pushes a buggy by himself at Sam's Club at 10:30 in the morning on random weekday mornings.

NLCS 

Far be it from me to sell the Diamondbacks short.  They earned their way into the Playoffs and were 5-0 as they headed into the LCS.   However, they have run into a real buzzsaw in the Phillies, who appear to be unstoppable on their way to the World Series Championship that eluded them last year.   Players like Kyle Schwarber, Trey Turner, Nick Castellanos, and especially Bryce Harper, combined with a 1-2 pitching punch like Zach Wheeler and Aaron Nola appear to be just too much for the D'backs, and perhaps for whatever team they face in the World Series.

A word about Harper.  The world became aware of him when he made the cover of Sports Illustrated when he was 14 or 15 years old.  The accompanying article described a cocky kid that, combined that an insufferable father who was the baseball equivalent of a "Show Biz Mother", made you want to root for him to fail.  He has, however lived up to the billing. Overall Number 1 draft pick, in the Majors at age 19, a two time MVP, and a $300 million dollar man.  He may be the kind of player that you root for only of he plays for YOUR team (Steelers Fans, think Hines Ward here), but he is the real deal, and he is showing it throughout these playoffs.  The only thing that has eluded him is a World Series ring, and I am guessing that that quest will be fulfilled by the end of the month.

Prior to the LCS, I wagered that the Phillies would play the Rangers in the World Series.  I also made separate wagers on both the Phillies and the Rangers winning the Series.  I am liking my chances to cash a couple of tickets after all is said and done.

The "stare down" may well end up being the 

most lasting image from the 2023 Playoffs