Go ahead and put this in the “lol” department. Long time outfielder, and NL Central traveler, Jim Edmonds, is probably done playing baseball.
Edmonds hit a home run to right-center field last night in Milwaukee, and might have blown out his leg rounding third base during his home run trot. (Video included in the linked article).
For those of us who spent years cursing Edmonds for his showboating ways in St. Louis, this is hard to not enjoy. While I really did like Edmonds when he came to play for the Cubs in 2008, this season quickly reminded me what an unlikeable guy he really is. You love him when he plays for your team, but the unnecessary diving catches and the little leg kick after hitting a home run really annoys fans of the opposing team.
If you don’t like Edmonds, it’s hard to not enjoy that his career ended trotting around the bases after doing his little leg kick.
At the same time, give the guy some props for having one heck of a career.
Other NL Central Notes
The Cardinals sent Felipe Lopez home for being a jackass. Add another one to the “I was wrong about that” column. I figured Lopez would save the Cardinals from an otherwise weak middle infield, but it turns out I’m baseball stupid.
Speaking of St. Louis, they might finish below .500 this season. Right now they are 77-73, so if their collapse continues, it means the Reds will be the only team in the Central above .500.
The concussion issue isn’t limited to the NFL. Jason LaRue says he’s retiring due to a concussion suffered earlier this season. He estimated it might be the 20th of his career. Scary stuff, especially when you think about how many foul balls those guys take off their masks each season.
Tyler Colvin is out of the hospital.
Does anybody really care about the rest of the division right now?
Kerry Wood!
Found this nice little article (Lou speak lives on!) on ESPN.com just now. Turns out Kerry Wood has been pitching lights out for the Yankees. In fact, he’s been one of the best relief pitchers in baseball since joining the Yankees, a move that didn’t inspire much joy for those in New York.
Wood was used mostly in low-leverage spots during his first month, as Joe Girardi called upon him almost exclusively to navigate the seventh inning. But since September 1, he’s established himself as the de facto “Bridge To Mariano” with six of his 10 appearances in the eighth inning or later and in high-leverage situations.
Wood has responded to this increased pressure and responsibility by pitching even better this month. In fact, you could argue that he’s been the Yankees most valuable pitcher in September, leading the staff with a Win Probability Added of 0.95 in 10 appearances.
That is just fantastic, even though I really don’t like the Yankees much. Hopefully Kerry can continue that success in the playoffs, and perhaps get the World Series ring he never could get in Chicago.
Then, maybe Jim Hendry can get him to come back next year.
And for this I give a resounding Nelson “Ha Ha!”
However, he was a helluva player and indeed deserves that recognition.