Rise and Phight: 2/17/2023

Tim McCarver passed away yesterday, one of the better people in the game. I know that many people were fans of Joe Buck and McCarver in the broadcast booth, but I happen to have found them among the best. Could be that I grew up with them, therefore they just seemed like the smartest people in the room, but the more you listen to old broadcasts, the better McCarver sounds.

He was also a really good baseball player. I think people forget how good he was, playing in four decades in the game thanks to his debuting in 1959 as a 17 year old kid. A two-time All-Star, he finished with 28.7 bWAR and a 102 OPS+. He’ll always be remembered around here as Steve Carlton’s personal catcher, which inspired the famous quote:

“When Steve and I die, they’ll bury us 60’ 6” apart.”

He’ll be missed.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• Andrew Painter was the topic of choice yesterday as he’s likely to be over the entire spring. He also debuted a new pitch yesterday - you’ll never guess what it is.
• If you’re looking for things to talk about other than Painter, here are some questions to consider that don’t mention him.
• Speaking of Painter (again), his locker was strategically placed among the best during this spring.
• The vibes, they’re good.

MLB news:

• The opportunity is there for MLB to fix the blackout issue. It only took regional sports networks going bankrupt.
• The pitch clock is the biggest thing people are talking about when it comes to the rules changes. Here’s how it would have impacted big moments in history.
• Matt Moore got a nice size deal yesterday, hooking on with the Angels for one year.
• Finally, Cole Hamels has gone home, signing a minor league deal with the Padres. I wouldn’t worry too much about his affected the season at all.