STARTING FIVE

1.” Frightening”

No one in baseball throws harder than Reds closer Aroldis Chapman, who regularly eclipses 100 m.p.h. on the radar gun. Which means that no one has the potential to have a ball hit directly back at him with less time to react than the Cuban lefty.

Last night in a Cactus League game versus the Kansas City Royals, Chapman was struck above the left eye by a line drive hit right back to the box.

At the moment all we know is that Chapman was on the ground for 11 minutes before being carted off the field and that he suffered fractures to his nose and around his left eye socket.

2. Was Anyone Surprised?

I like Gregg Doyel of CBSSports.com. R’ally I do. He may wonder if I do –he probably doesn’t care–but I do.

So that’s why I get upset when he writes columns like the one he penned for yesterday about the First Four. Gregg lives in Cincinnati, so was he really surprised when he drove up to Dayton to discover that the two nights of games here were a sham, a “money grab” as he called it?

And why did so many media outlets –blogs, radio, etc.–give him so much attention on this? What’s his next column going to expose: that those nice puffy clouds you see may just come bearing rain? The most disingenuous aspect of the column, for me, is that Gregg works for CBSSports.com. C-B-S. These are the people behind the money that is behind the NCAA’s money grab. It’s like a writer for BuzzFeed lamenting America’s infatuation for lists

(Notice how I shrewdly avoided a Hitler analogy there? Avoid Hitler analogies at all times. That’s Rule No. 12 –I have to start writing these rules down somewhere).

 

3. “Bad?” We’d Have Gone With “Smelly.”

An ingenious idea: A Google autocorrect map of the United States based on the question, “Why is _______ so ______?”

4. W___ O_ _____E

Being that it is the first day of March Madness, let’s just go ahead and say that Emil here is the U.S. Reed of “Wheel of Fortune.” Watch the link.

The only thing more miraculous is that Vanna White is still spinning letters. Not because she still looks good. No, because anyone else would have gone insane by now. er t

Emil pockets $45,000.

Pat Sajak later tweeted, “Tonight’s ‘Wheel of Fortune’ features most amazing solve in my 30-plus years on the show. No kidding.”

5. Tattoo Pallor

Oh, Maine. You’re trying to be Florida. It’s a solid effort. Keep up the good work.

The Hall

Charter Inductees: Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner

1937:  Tris Speaker, CF; Cy Young, P ; 1938: Grover Cleveland Alexander, P; Eddie Collins, 2B 1939:Nap Lajoie, 2B; Joe Jackson, LF; 1940: Billy Hamilton, OF; Cap Anson, 1B; 1941: Wee Willie Keeler, RF; George Sisler, 1B; 1942: Rogers Hornsby, 2B; Pie Traynor, 3B; 1943: Mickey Cochrane, C; Frankie Frisch, 2B 1944: Ed Walsh, P; Old Hoss Radbourn, P 1945: Lou Gehrig, 1B; Kid Nichols, P 1946: Ed Delahanty, LF; Lefty O’Doul 1947: Pud Galvin, P; John McGraw, INF 1948: Carl Hubbell, P; Addie Joss, P 1949: Harry Heilman, OF/1B; Monte Ward, P/SS 1950: Cool Papa Bell, CF; Jimmie Foxx, 1B 1951: Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown, P; Josh Gibson, C 1952: Paul Waner, RF; Charlie Gehringer, 2B 1953: Mel Ott, RF; Hank Greenberg, 1B 1954: Eddie Plank, P; Dan Brouthers, 1B 1955: “Wahoo” Sam Crawford, OF; John Clarkson, P 1956: Chief Bender, P; Bill Dickey, C 1957: Sam Rice, RF; Joe DiMaggio, CF 1958: Bill Terry, 1B; Heinie Manush, LF 1959: Dizzy Dean, P; Tim Keefe, P 

1960: Gabby Hartnett, C; Mickey Welch, P 1961: Bob Feller, P; Ducky Medwick, LF 1962: Luke Appling, SS; Jesse Burkett, LF 1963 Jackie Robinson, 2B; Zack Wheat, LF 1964: Jake Beckley, 1B; Rube Waddell, P 1965: Ralph Kiner, 1B; Lefty Grove, P 1966: Ted Williams, LF; Smoky Joe Wood, P/OF 1967: Roy Campanella, C; Max Carey, OF 1968: Goose Goslin, LF; Rabbit Maranville, SS 1969: Stan Musial, 1B/OF 1970: Ferris Fain, 1B; Earle Combs, CF 1971: Warren Spahn, P; Yogi Berra, C 1972 Satchel Paige, P; Sandy Koufax, P 1973: Robin Roberts, P; Whitey Ford, P1974: Mickey Mantle, CF; Eddie Mathews, 3B 1975: Lefty Gomez, P; Hack Wilson, CF 1976: Jack Pfiester, P; Johnny Mize, 1B 1977: Ernie Banks, SS; Mickey Welch, P 1978: Roberto Clemente, RF; Chuck Klein, RF

1979

Willie Mays, CF; 1951-1973, Giants, Mets

The Say Hey Kid. Some people consider him the best to ever play the game. Definitely in the top ten. Mays was an All-Star 24 times (they staged two a year a few times back then; it was over a period of 20 years). He was both  a two-time National League MVP and a two-time All-Star Game MVP. “They All-Star Game was created for him,” said Ted Williams. The Alabama native was also a 12-time Gold Glove winner and he would’ve won more but the award did not exist his first six seasons in the league. Made the greatest outfield catch in World Series history, robbing Vic Wertz in 1954. Twelfth all-time in hits (3,283), 3rd in home runs (660)  (Sorry, Barry, I don’t recognize that mark).

True story: the 1975 or ’76 Old-Timers’ Day Game at Shea Stadium featured a nice surprise in which four iconic New York center fielders walked in together from beyond the center field fence (like in “Field of Dreams”, only 14 years earlier) before the first pitch: Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and Duke Snider. I was there with my brother and my dad. Got Joe D’s autograph later. A good day.

Luis Aparicio, SS; 1956-1973, White Sox, O’s, Red Sox

Little Louie was an artist of the base paths, leading the American League in stolen bases in every one of the first nine seasons of his career. An All-Star in 10 different years, Aparicio was the 1956 Rookie of the Year and helped the Orioles to win the World Series in 1966. A nine-time Gold Glove winner, he also finished his career with 2,677 hits.

 Remote Patrol

March Madness

CBS Noon-5 p.m., 7 p.m.-Midnight

From Cal-Poly to Calipari, from the Blue Hens to the Blue Devils, the best weekend in sports begins today. You can watch it here or you can watch it along with Bill Simmons and Jalen Rose on grantland.com. Whither J-Bug and House?