Picture if you will, you’re a baseball team just arriving in Philadelphia after a flight from Denver. You reach your hotel near Midnight, and there, in the lobby is your formerly injured team captain, in full battle array, with cookies for all of you.  This may not sound like much unless you realize  two things. For starters, airline food isn’t what it was in 1968, when Arthur Hailey wrote the book “Airport,” or even a decade later when the iconic movie “Airplane,” came out. Second, you need to know that even under the best conditions baseball players can eat like shredders plowing through Hillary Clinton’s files.   After 12 years of riding buses through the minors, I know that managers of fast food places need to order extra food after a team bus has left. The dollar menu, while a blessing to minor leaguers who earn low salaries, is a cross to bear for managers of places who offer it if a team bus pulls into their parking lot.  So I feel safe saying those cookies lasted maybe six minutes when the Mets fell upon them Sunday night. Given David Wright’s popularity and how hot the Mets have been, it’s my guess big bouquets of cookies may replace roses in the immediate future as a sign of appreciation or a plea for forgiveness after a misspent night or weekend.

It’s Good to be the King–NOT!

King Felix Hernandez of the Mariners takes the hill in one of two afternoon games today. But all is not well in his kingdom of late. He has posted a 2-3 record and a shocking 8.48 ERA in his last 5 starts. if His Majesty pitched in New York, the fans would be calling for him to suffer the guillotin-the fate of King Louis XVI of France in 1789. In the less hysterical sports town of Seattle, the fans will wait for the king to stand tall again. They believe he will against Oakland around lunch time this afternoon. The other matinee is in New York, where last night the Yankees played the role of Johnny Rodds to the Astros’ Hulk Hogan  in a 15-1 demolition. With C. C. Sabathia out of commission for the forseeable future, the Yankees needed every starter to step up. In response, Ivan Nova laid an egg that would have made an omelet for Sabathia and Bartolo Colon to share. It got worse. Nova, Nick Rumbelo and Chris Capuano all left the mound bruised and battered as though they were run over by subway trains.   Capuano in particular may be adding an employment agency to his favorites list  as I write this. He’s had more second chances than Jameis Winston with less excuse, which just shows if you’re a lefty pitcher with a pulse some team will take a risk with you. Brenday Ryan was the only “pitcher” who kept the Astros quiet-and he’s an infielder by trade. The only reason he pitched was, the bull pen may be needed for this afternoon’s early show. Michael Pineda gets the ball, but it’s his first outing since going on the DL July 30. Even if he pitches well, he will be on a pitch count. Today all pitchers are on a pitch count when they first return to the mound after a stint on the shelf.

The late game is the best matchup of the evening, another Cubs-Giants matchup in San Francisco. A game not to be missed if you can get it, but that’s just how I see it.