Alan Greenwood

Gerrit Cole shows signs of assuming a lengthy stay as the best pitcher in baseball. Through the second half of the season he literally was best of the best. His fifth and final loss of the 2019 regular season came on May 22 against the White Sox.

His 20-5 record and 2.50 earned run average will bring him a truckload of dough this winter.

Does it get much better? Oh, yes.

Cole also has a large measure of jackass in his soul. Now this isn’t a necessity – there remain ballplayers who actually count humility among their great assets – but Cole chucked whatever humility he was born with by the time he began earning money for throwing baseballs.

After the Astros lost Game 7 of the World Series last week, Cole symbolically divested his interest in the team by putting on a cap representing his agent, Scott Boras before reluctantly meeting with reporters.

“Do I have to do it? Technically I’m unemployed,” Cole told Astros officials.

From there the Astros were not so much as an afterthought for the best pitcher in the game. Apparently he has had the Angels in his sights for weeks, if not months, if not years.

The up-side to this is that there are so many jackasses in Tinseltown that Cole may get lost in the crowd.

TIME TRAVEL: Nov. 3, 1964 – “Not being allowed to use the Holman Stadium lights after darkness set in late yesterday afternoon halted the football game between the Jayvee teams of Bishop Guertin and Nashua High and raised the ire of fans, players, coaches and authorities of both schools today.

“Bishop Guertin was ahead 14-8 with 6 minutes and 5 seconds remaining on the clock. An effort to locate a Park Department attendant to turn on the stadium lights was futile. The game, the first between the two (city) rivals, was attended by hundreds of interested spectators but it never reached a conclusion. It had to be halted in one of the crucial stages of the fourth period.

“Not only did the ‘darkness’ situation disturb Bishop Guertin officials but no locker room facilities were made available for the Cardinal players.”

AND FINALLY: Every time the Patriots play the Baltimore Ravens there is a sinking feeling in at least man’s gut that the game is not going to end well.

Why? That is a mystery. They have had great, good, bad and awful games against the Ravens during the Brady-Belichick Dynasty. Nothing comes to mind that merits the tag “curse,” as in the Bambino’s hex that alleged haunted the Red Sox for 86 years.

Still, the Patriots could well endure their first loss this season tonight.

And if it comes down to a field goal that is a lock.

Contact Alan Greenwood at 594-1248, agreenwood@nashuatelegraph.com or @Telegraph_AlanG.com.

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