Labor Day Rumblings - News for September 4, 2017

Labor Day Rumblings - News for September 4, 2017

Lorenzo Cain defended the call on his check-swing on Sunday that got Paul Molitor ejected.

Cain, of course, had a different view. As he sat near his locker after the victory, he flashed a smile and let out an infectious laugh.

“How do I want to put this?” Cain said playfully, before launching into his defense of the call. “Every time, when I check-swing, I kind of drop my whole body into it. Normally, most times, it looks like I’m going. They normally say that I went.

“I think it was the right call. And I appreciate him doing that. Because I needed that.”

Kelvin Herrera is out for a few days with a flexor strain.

“He’s got full strength,” Kenney said. “Full range of motion. What happens is once it gets tight, he actually loses a little bit of control of his motor functions in his fingers. And that’s why he gets a little erratic. It’s almost like a fatigue-type issue. Once he gets deeper in a game, 25, 30 (pitches) this thing starts to tighten up a little bit on him.”

Vahe Gregorian writes the Royals are lucky to have Dayton Moore’s steady leadership in the face of adversity.

Barring a momentous change of fortune into an improbable playoff run, Moore isn’t going to get another of those Major League Baseball “Executive of the Year” awards like he did in 2015.

But if this is the last hurrah with much of the core that made baseball in KC not just relevant but thrilling again, even if you’re exasperated with the state of things right now, it’s also a fine time to pause and remember that Moore is the same man who rejuvenated the franchise.

And remember that with his dignity, integrity, transparency, charitable endeavors and appeal to the best in us, he’s done some of his most admirable work in the last few months — work that transcends baseball and stands for why Kansas City is lucky to have him in this job.

Nick Pollack at Fangraphs wonders if Jakob Junis is for real.

There isn’t much more to say about Junis’ Slider that you wouldn’t already know just from watching these GIFs. It’s fantastic and a signature pitch that he has every reason to throw nearly 50% of the time as it can do whatever he wants it to. It instantly makes his other pitches better simply because hitters have to be always on alert, and let’s hope Junis keeps up its high usage rate moving forward.

Danny Duffy isn’t close to returning, and Sam Gaviglio could join the rotation.

Lee Judge explains why you should still tune in to Royals baseball.

Royals third baseman Paul Schaal passed away at age 74. He was known for his smooth defense and good walk total, and was replaced at third by George Brett. He stayed in the Kansas City area, working as a chiropractor.

Bill and Brian-Doyle Murray were all over town over the weekend, including at the Kansas City Urban Baseball Academy.

The Yankees were mad at Eduardo Nunez for bunting, so he hit a home run.

The Mets sign Nori Aoki.

Victor Martinez has heart surgery, ending his season, but not his career.

The Red Sox/Yankees rivalry hasn’t mattered in over a decade.

A blown call in San Francisco shows the problems with instant replay.

Tim Tebow finishes his first pro season with mixed results.

Chiefs owner Clark Hunt is being sued by the New Mexico Investment Council for $300 million, alleging kickbacks.

Baylor gave up 585 yards to Liberty and Howard defeated UNLV in two of the biggest upsets in college football history.

A judge rules that Yahoo can be sued for data security breaches.

A poor Labor Day weekend at the box office caps one of Hollywood’s worst summers.

Why more songs should end with a fade out.

Your song of the day is Huey Lewis and the News with Workin’ for a Livin’.