STACKHOUSE’S 10 THOUGHTS

1 – HOUSTON ASTERISKS – I think the entire roster, or at least everyone who isn’t a pitcher, from the 2017 World Series team should be suspended for 2020.  How the Astros and their smug owner assemble a team is not my problem. I get these guys were promised immunity and I get the notion the union will step in and put up a vigorous appeal.  I think, at this point, if MLB reopens the investigation they will uncover lies from the Astro players and that erases their immunity. As far as the union goes, let them file their appeal and have them defend who they want to defend.  But, if you look at the superstars that have done interviews and who are ticked to high heaven over this, the union ends up in a real pickle.

2 – MANFRED FAILING – Rob Manfred said he didn’t remove the 2017 World Series from Houston because he didn’t see the point in taking away a piece of metal.  And, with that he just devalued the pinnacle of baseball success. For all the outrage that we’ve heard from players and fans, we haven’t heard any from owners.  I wonder why that is.

3 – BUZZERS – I suppose I am a conspiracy theorist on certain things so it shouldn’t be a surprise to know I totally think the Astros used buzzers and I even think Manfred knows as much but he isn’t saying because you can see how mad everyone is over this as it is.  Houston has managed to turn MLB into scripted professional wrestling. The solution is simple – ban all forms of technology from the dugout and clubhouse. Teams don’t need it.

4 – RED SOX PUZZLING – I’d sure like to hear the rationale of the Boston Red Sox for putting the brakes on their deal with Minnesota and the LA Dodgers last week all because prospect pitcher Brusdar Graterol had a medical report that the Red Sox interpreted as risky that Graterol could have a career as a starting pitcher.  Apparently there was something in there that gave them cause for concern that he may, at some point, become injured even though he’s perfectly fine and, therefore, needs to be a career reliever. News to me that relievers never get hurt and news to me that you can predict the future from a medical report. To make matters worse, the outfielder they took in the trade (Alex Verdugo) has a stress fracture in his back and hasn’t seen the field since August 4, 2019.  The Red Sox have already announced he will start this year on the Injured List, and they claim to have been totally aware of this all along. So an injury that is serious, current, and very real didn’t matter yet a potential, possible, maybe injury to a pitcher was enough to kill the deal.  

5 – BASEBALL ENDANGERED SPORT – Baseball, in general, is a real joke right now.  Young people aren’t interested in Major League Baseball. For all the jokes and criticism about the XFL, the fact remains that the worst team still drew 15,000 fans.  Some of the worst teams in MLB won’t draw that for some games. Baseball is dying. There are no new fans and young people are rejecting it en masse. I suspect that when people who are in their 40s today end up six feet under, there won’t be anyone left to watch this sport.

6 – XFL REVIEW – I haven’t watched a full XFL game on television yet, but some of what I’ve seen, I like.  There may be a little too much media involvement with sideline interviews although a couple of them have been dandies where Matt McGloin ripped his offensive coordinator and then went out and threw an interception.  Then there was Landry Jones offering self criticism and saying he needs to play better. You don’t see that very often. Some of the natural sound clips I can do without, although I did like hearing the officials in the replay booth discuss what they were seeing and the overall process of relaying information to the field.  I think if teams can maintain between 12,000 and 20,000 fans in attendance, the league will be fine for multiple years as long as they recognize that’s what they are.

7 – WINNIPEG JETS – I’m a big Winnipeg Jets fan, but I’m also a realist and sometimes I will also admit the glass is half empty with me as opposed to half full.  I’m taking quite a beating on Twitter from fellow Jets fans after I said the Jets simply don’t have any elite players. They don’t have a top 20 forward in the league or a top 10 defenseman.  I will concede Connor Hellebuyck is a top three goalie for this year, but seasons for netminders tend to fluctuate wildly and there is no assurances he will be as good next year. The point being I think Jets fans overvalue Mark Scheifele, Patrik Laine, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Josh Morrissey the most.  Blake Wheeler was a superstar, but he’s on the back nine of his career and Kyle Connor is approaching superstar status but he’s not there yet. Laine has improved a great deal, but he’s no Alex Ovechkin. Scheifele has struggled for the last month, but even when he’s on he isn’t a Nathan MacKinnon or a Jack Eichel or (heaven forbid) Auston Matthews.  He’s a notch below superstardom. What I’m saying is that the Jets just aren’t that good so to criticize Paul Maurice isn’t fair. I think without Hellebuyck, it’s possible they are in Ottawa and Detroit territory for standings points.

8 – PLAY BY PLAY CRITIQUE – I do play by play for the SJHL on Sasktel Max and I will be the first to admit I am not good enough to be in the NHL doing the same thing and I will also be quick to tell you this broadcasting role isn’t for everyone.  Being a strong TV anchor doesn’t mean you will be a good play by play guy. Having said that, if you are going to do play by play you need to be open to criticism and for that reason I feel qualified to say Edmonton Oiler games are unwatchable because of the low quality of the play by play.  It’s too bad because that’s an exciting brand of hockey but the announcing just sucks the life out of it. Surely, there are better options out there. I’m sure the man doing it is a nice guy and is an excellent broadcaster as a whole, but play by play shouldn’t be his thing.

9 – ONE DOOR CLOSES, ANOTHER OPENS – When Ryan Ouellette left the SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers last month, it was easy to predict that would be their demise.  However, Philippe Bond has been heroic filling in although his stats aren’t eye popping at first glance. You have to consider Bond has seen shot totals of 50, 38, 57, 48, 46, 32, and 62 in seven of his eight starts since taking over the number one job.  He has a SPCT of .928 since January 4th if you throw out his one bad game where he was pulled early in the second period. Ouellette, meanwhile, has become a back-up in the USHL with middling numbers and is, likely, off the radar for NHL scouts who had otherwise pegged him to be in the CJHL Top Prospects Game last month.

10 – PIPELINE PROTESTS – I just don’t know how to accommodate every single person and group when it comes to these matters.  The northern BC project has met all the strict environmental standards put in place by a federal government that does not want any pipelines built at all.  It’s got the approval of 20/20 elected chiefs and 8/13 hereditary chiefs. Depending on which news article you read, a couple of the five hereditary chiefs who oppose the pipeline have axes to grind because they lost previous elections.  Nevertheless, five hereditary chiefs should not be allowed to shut down the country nor should they be able to overrule the 28 other chiefs who have green lighted the project. There’s a lot more I could say on this but I won’t. The issues are many and the solutions are quite easy although there is no denying feelings would be hurt, names would be called, and leadership (which Canada doesn’t have) would be necessary. 

(Mike Stackhouse is a freelance writer/broadcaster. Follow him on Twitter at @Stack1975)