Finding common ground between San Francisco and Dallas - MLB

I’m a bit surprised we haven’t heard as much about the San Francisco-Dallas culture clash leading up to the World Series. I mean, really, what is a sporting event without people reducing two large, diverse, mutli-cultural metropolitan areas to their most crude and basic stereotypes? I want to hear more about how this is a battle between gun-toting, meat-eating, God-fearing Texas wackos on the one side and drug-abusing, tofu-loving commie perverts on the other.

Joe Eskenazi of SF Weekly has a guest post in the the Dallas Morning News today, and when I saw it I figured we’d be getting some good red culture war meat. Sadly he’s pretty even handed about it and is in on the joke. But he does rattle off my favorite line of day so far:

Though I haven’t visited Dallas, I have been to Houston. And I think residents of San Francisco and Dallas can certainly bond – over making fun of Houston.

Someone start throwing bombs, will ya? There isn’t nearly enough outrage floating around this World Series yet, and it’s making me kind of antsy.

UPDATE: I spoke too soon. Leave it to the New York Times.

PITTSBURGH — The New York Mets will have to dig out of an early-season hole without star first baseman Pete Alonso.

The leading home run hitter in the majors will miss three-to-four weeks with a bone bruise and a sprain in his left wrist.

The Mets placed Alonso on the 10-day injured list Friday, retroactive to June 8. Alonso was hit in the wrist by a 96 mph fastball from Charlie Morton in the first inning of a 7-5 loss to Atlanta on Wednesday.

Alonso traveled to New York for testing on Thursday. X-rays revealed no broken bones, but the Mets will be missing one of the premier power hitters in the game as they try to work their way back into contention in the NL East.

“We got better news than it could have been,” New York manager Buck Showalter said. “So we take that as a positive. It could have been worse.”

New York had lost six straight heading into a three-game series at Pittsburgh that began Friday. Mark Canha started at first for the Mets in the opener. Mark Vientos could also be an option, though Showalter said the coaching staff may have to use its “imagination” in thinking of ways to get by without Alonso.

“I’m not going to say someone has to step up and all that stuff,” Showalter said. “You’ve just got to be who you are.”

Even with Alonso in the lineup, the Mets have struggled to score consistently. New York is 16th in the majors in runs scored.

The team also said Friday that reliever Edwin Uceta had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. Uceta initially went on the IL in April with what the team called a sprained left ankle. He is expected to be out for at least an additional eight weeks.

New York recalled infielder Luis Guillorme and left-handed reliever Zach Muckenhirn from Triple-A Syracuse. The Mets sent catcher Tomás Nido to Triple-A and designated reliever Stephen Nogosek for assignment.

Nogosek is 0-1 with a 5.63 ERA in 13 games this season.