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Mr. Niss's avatar

It's "for all intents and purposes", not "for all intensive purposes". You're far from the only person who's heard/written the phrase in this manner. I'd tell you privately so that it doesn't appear that I'm trying to criticize or embarrass you (I'm not) but I don't know how to do that.

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Rich MacLeod's avatar

Yep that’s a gaffe on my part. The downside of writing at 2:00 in the morning 😓

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Joel's avatar

You did the right thing. I'd even quibble back that it's ok to criticize someone sometimes!

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Steve's avatar

That was a tough one. Nimmo 🤦🏼‍♂️ we left 16 runners on base. Still struggling to hit.

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Turfseer's avatar

Bring Back the Bloop Artist—Baseball Needs Him

There was a time, not long ago, when putting bat to ball was enough to make you a star. When hitters weren’t judged solely on exit velocity or launch angle, but on something radical: their ability to reach base. Jeff McNeil, the New York Mets' second baseman, was a shining example of this. In 2022, he won the National League batting title with a .326 average, using a short stroke, an all-fields approach, and a healthy dose of what you might call the "dunk shot" — check-swing singles that just cleared the infield.

But that version of McNeil is now an endangered species. Like so many before him, he seems to have been lured by the siren song of power hitting. No longer is he choking up with two strikes, or flicking pitches into left for an easy single. Instead, he’s swinging harder, pulling more, and watching his average plummet. It’s not just McNeil—it’s a league-wide trend. Baseball has become obsessed with "damage," and in doing so, it’s forgotten the quiet virtue of consistent contact.

Managers and hitting coaches have bought into a one-size-fits-all model: elevate and celebrate. Everyone's trying to be the next launch angle darling, even if it means going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and a solo homer once a week. The art of the bloop, the dying quail, the well-placed poke to the opposite field, is dying. And with it, so is in-game adaptability.

Why don’t more players simply try to put the ball in play with a dunk into the outfield when the defense is shifted or the pitcher is dominating? It’s not a lack of skill. It’s the cultural devaluation of the bloop itself.

Baseball doesn’t need more sluggers swinging out of their shoes. It needs more McNeils — or at least, the old version of him. The one who could wreck a pitcher’s rhythm with a flick of the wrists. The one who made contact look like a rebellion.

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Brian Czach's avatar

A base hit with RISP would’ve negated this whole story. You can’t win without hitting the ball.

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Steven O's avatar

“For all intensive purposes…” WTF? Where has the proofreading gone? Copy editor? Anybody?

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Peter Mat's avatar

Maybe Brazoban is not cut out to close, but is more than adequate to get into the 7th and 8th innings. You don't know unless your placed in the situation of you can complete the job. Move on to tonight's game.

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Matthew Davis's avatar

Gut wrenching. I went to bed after Muncy's homer.

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Joel's avatar

God-awful (and embarrassing) way to lose a game. Consecutive blown saves...not a good feeling.

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