Oh, Alvin Yellon. Oh, Oh, Alvin.

When Alvin titles an article

Athletics 14, Cubs 2: Oh, Edwin Jackson. Oh, Oh, Edwin.

 

You just know that the article is going to be condescending. When Alvin writes any article, you know that the article is going to be poorly written. Here we go.

Then, word came that he had been “caught in traffic.” Uh… okay, I guess, even though Sloan Park and HoHoKam Stadium are the closest two parks in the Cactus League, just 3.6 miles apart:

I include this for two reasons. The first is that it provides context for the next few parts of this article. The second is that you can already see that Al is an idiot. He includes “caught in traffic” in sarcastic air-quotes. I know it’s sarcastic because he starts his next sentence with “Uh… okay, I guess”. Alvin has prejudged this excuse and found it wanting. He sees right through you, Edwin.

Ten minutes is about right. I’ve driven it a number of times. Even with ballgame traffic, it shouldn’t take more than 15. Then we found out the real reason:

What happens next is a series of Carrie Muskat tweets that say he accidentally drove to Oakland’s old complex from 13. Silly mistake, but whatever.

Okay, I just did exactly what it says up there. I put “A’s complex” into Google Maps. Here’s what I got:

 

The very first result using that search is “HoHoKam Stadium,” charmingly labeled by Google as “Enduring baseball spring training home.”

Yeah, and the 3rd result is Phoenix Municipal Stadium. Under A’s complex, in the picture you provided, it gave “Phoenix Municipal Stadium” as a result. Honest mistake. Water under the bridge. Time to move on.

If only it were that easy…

And here’s the thing that really puzzles me. Edwin Jackson played for the 2013 Cubs. You know, the last year they were at HoHoKam and everyone was making a really big deal about the Cubs moving out and the A’s moving in this year. Edwin Jackson works in baseball. You’d think he would have known about this. You’d think he could have asked one of his teammates, or coaches, or his manager, or taken the bus with everyone else over from Sloan Park.

Like Edwin Jackson (or any Cub) gives a flying fuck who is moving in after they move out. Why would he care? Is he an Athletic? That’s one of the four or so teams he HASN’T been on! Isn’t it logical that Edwin could even have Googled it, saw Phoenix Muni, remembered they used to play there, and just go?

This is a non-issue in every sense of the word. He drove to the wrong stadium, still made it on time to the correct one, and was candid and apologetic afterwards. Sure, he could and should get razzed by his teammates for it. Seriously, though, who cares?

I don’t know how this misdirection affected Jackson, but he had one of the worst innings I’ve ever seen from any established starter in spring training. After emergency starter Parker gave up a pair of first-inning runs, Jackson allowed a pair in the second on two doubles and a wild pitch. Then he managed to get the first two men out in the third on routine plays. It was after that when he imploded, allowing seven consecutive hits, one of them a two-run homer by Stephen Vogt.

Edwin Jackson is a smart guy. He knows he’s on the outside of this team looking in. Compounding that, he drove to the wrong stadium, so he’s probably flustered. He has less time to prepare for the game. I bet you can wager how this misdirection affected him. I’ll give you a hint: in the same freaking sentence you say the words “I don’t know how this misdirection affected Jackson…” you then say “…but he had one of the worst innings I’ve ever seen from any established starter in spring training.” So, it sounds like you do know…but that’s just me.

I don’t want to come down too hard on Jackson for the transportation mishap.

Bullshit.

But really, he should have known better.

Told you.

The rest of the recap is just standard Alvin and not worth mentioning (highlight: he doesn’t include a link to the boxscore, or at least doesn’t put it in a place that makes sense), but I wanted to show that Alvin hates Edwin Jackson, probably personally. Can you imagine dedicating half of a recap to literally any other player on the team if they missed the start of the game? Maybe Starlin Castro, because Alvin hates him for no reason too. I would bet my hypothetical farm on the hypothetical that if Miguel Montero drove to Phoenix Muni instead of Edwin Jackson, that this is maybe a line in the recap.

Yellon doesn’t even include the potential counter-argument: that mistakes are magnified if you’re fighting for your roster spot. I can buy that argument, sort-of, although not when couched in this condescending bullshit.

And just think, THIS is the re-discredited Cubs blog out there. THAT is the blog that claims to speak for the average Cubs fan.