Napoli's 12-pitch walk breaks up Rockies perfect game

"Welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends"

After hearing that Keith Emerson died, I tracked down my Best of ELP CD for this morning's N&N soundtrack. Baseball is, in many ways, a recurring freak show where the wonderful and bizarre happen side by side. Yesterday, the Indians were almost no-hit by a bunch of scrubs and broke it up on a 12-pitch walk. Games have been interrupted by squirrels, bees, midges, pigeons and fog. A baseball might bounce off the fielder's head for a home run. A pitcher breaks his elbow after 12 pitches. We watch because the improbable, both triumphant and tragic, so often occurs over the probable.

What a lucky man we all are.

Colorado 6 - Cleveland 1

Rockies flirt with no-hitter, beat Indians | MLB.com - Five Rockies pitchers held the Indians without a baserunner for 7 1/3 innings Friday in a 6-1 Colorado victory at Salt River Fields.

Indians Cody Anderson pleased with spring test | MLB.com - Cody Anderson's plan against the Rockies on Friday afternoon was a simple one: attack the strike zone with fastballs.

Will Mike Napoli's 12-pitch walk to end perfect game bode well for Cleveland Indians? | cleveland.com - The Indians still lost and they did not look good doing it. However, Napoli's persistence in that 12-pitch walk could serve them well during the course of the long regular season when small things done well can make a difference.

Indians News

Indians take fans along for ride on Snapchat | MLB.com - As part of Major League Baseball's Snapchat Day, the Indians used the app to give fans an in-depth look at a typical day at Spring Training.

Terry Francona says "sky is the limit' for Cleveland Indians shortstop Erik Gonzalez | cleveland.com - "In our mind he's a shortstop," said Francona. " I know Lindor is here. We get that. (But) a guy who is that good at shortstop . . . I just didn't want him to sit here and not play. He has the ability to play all over the place. He could probably play center field and first base, too.

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