Do not trust a man with half of a beard. Such people tend to spend too much time thinking, particularly about themselves. Also, that’s a lot of mirror time over the course of an adult lifetime. San Francisco manager Gabe Kapler is a good example. The stupid patches that the Giants now display on their uniform jerseys are advertisements for taxis without drivers, which is about as anti-union short of physical violence as you can get. Kapler not only sports the patch but also took time from analyzing his roster to make a video commercial for the company. The company’s taxis, meanwhile, continue to clog the streets of San Francisco by breaking down. In true 21st century spirit, company executives blame other things. Acts of God you know. For this reason alone, I will henceforth have a very difficult time believing anything Gabe Kapler has to say. His managing success cannot be denied: the 2021 Giants won 107 games to the surprise of many, and when teams win more than they are expected to, the manager tends to get some of the credit. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the Giants have not fared well since that ’21 season and , while some of the fault for that can be directly aimed st injuries and the retirement of Buster Posey, management has been confusing to their fans and , one has to suspect, to the players.

Platooning can be a good thing . Casey Stengel worked for a ball club, the Yankees, that had more money to spend on players than most other teams were either willing or able to spend. If the Yanks needed a lefty for the bullpen or a right handed hitting outfielder to bolster the attack against southpaws they could, and did, find what they needed on another team’s roster and exchange some cash to secure one. Stengel, who was wildly successful between 1949 and 1960, could use, for example, Bobby Brown at third base and Gene Woodling in left field against right handed hurlers and then Billy Johnson at third and Hank Bauer in the outfield against lefties. However, there is a difference between using that strategy with veteran players who are secure in their roles and just massively doing the automatic switcheroo with young players just up from the minors or out of college. The way Kapler does it, he in effect is saying “I know you can’t do this. You are not good enough and I can’t afford to let you develop your skills.” Some of the players who have faced this crisis of confidence are David Villar, Joey Bart, Mauricio Dubon, and Brett Wisely. Kapler is showing how smart he thinks he is by the way he also jerks around his pitching staff. Would a free agent starting pitcher want to sign with a team that uses him for one, two, maybe three innings two or three times a week? I know, this is the New Age but if I was an agent, I would advise going elsewhere.

As for those Yankees, they continue to do their best to keep barbers employed. Facial hair has been banned ever since the felonious boss, George Steinbrenner, ruled . It’s kind of embarrassing to see grown men have to toe that silly line. It reminds me how, back in the day (as they say) defense lawyers would strongly advise their clients to be sure to show up in court with a suit on or at least a tie and be well groomed so as not to offend the judge or jurors. It serves no other real purpose. So the Bronx Bongers sit in last place with a 62-68 record as we head toward the finish line.

The race to that line is looking like fun in several places. Arizona has a pulse again, Seattle and Toronto are really interesting, and Tampa Bay is alive and well. I don’t bet, but, if I did, Baltimore and Atlanta would be my choices.