Fungos

A fungo bat is used by a coach to hit balls for fielding practice. Old Coot has hit thousands of fungos over the years. In these posts a fungo will refer to some leftover items for your consideration. Maybe they don’t warrant the attention of a full article, but they still deserve mention.

First, one additional Spring Training note. I mentioned how much I enjoyed Salt River Field at Talking Stick, but I failed to mention the organist in the ballpark. I love the sound of a real organ in a ballpark. It has a throwback feel that adds a lot to the atmosphere. The man on the keyboards in this venue was great. It’s the first time I’ve ever heard anyone play “LaGrange” on a ballpark organ. A-haw haw haw-haw. Classic!

There are still noteworthy items coming from the Mavericks Circus:

There is no truth to the rumor that Nicco tried to work a trade for Joel Embiid when he learned that the big man is out for the season.

After Dorian Finney-Smith was traded away from the Mavs, Luka was quoted as saying he hoped they could play together again in the future. Bet they didn’t expect it would happen with the Lakers.

Quentin Grimes has averaged about 23 points a game for Philadelphia since Dallas traded him for the partially disabled Caleb Martin. Caleb has played about 23 minutes total for the Mavs.

The team announced a sizable price increase in tickets for next year. That’s like selling someone a car that won’t run and then billing them an additional $1000 for a sound system.

Moving on to another example of how not to manage a team, the Cowboys’ Assistant GM and Emperor In Waiting, Stephen Jones, announced the team would be “selectively aggressive” in the off-season. What does that even mean? Sucker-punching someone and then running?

President Trump recently announced that he plans to pardon Pete Rose. Don’t you have to commit a crime before you receive a pardon? I don’t think Pete was involved in the January 6 incident, but he may have placed a bet on it.

That’s today’s fungos, and as always, it’s one man’s opinion - what’s yours?