I received the following email late last night, with the request to pass it along, so here you go:
Hello, EFL owners! I am the tree whose broken body landed in Ron’s backyard, and I wanted to give you my perspective because, well, I feel like I was overlooked.
A few weeks ago I noticed a change. A crack had been forming in my trunk for the past several months, almost for the past year. There are often cracks that form in my trunk, but through my incredible ability to heal myself, they often don’t become problems. However, the wind event a few nights ago took advantage of this crack before I was able to fully mend it, and you have seen the results.
Ron seemed to suggest that it was chance that I missed the most important structures in his yard, but the reason for this email is to tell you that is unequivocally false. You see, as a living organism who has so much time to ponder the biggest questions in life (what else would I do?), I have also created contingency plans for an infinite amount of possibilities and knew, as the windstorm began, what would need to happen in this specific circumstance. Why am I a tree who considered these things while other trees wreak havoc when they fall?
Well, in short, the ground in which I am planted is one rich with the seeds of pacifism and reconciliation. Ron Mock has, in ways he didn’t know, influenced me to consider the options for falling which would cause the least amount of damage to those living around me. And so I fell in his yard, yes, but as a testament to all he has taught me. Does he have to clean me up? Yes, but that is also part of the brilliance of my plan, for through the work he will become stronger physically and also mentally, able to respond even more fully to whatever new challenges and opportunities await him.
And, in closing, due to my physiological makeup, I must say I am pulling for the Tornadoes to win the EFL this year. I have a precarious relationship with wind, as I have already mentioned, and the opportunities given to me (and to other trees) to consider how to best live (and die) through my interactions with wind have shown me that there is no better choice this year, and for years to come, no doubt.
Your friend who is now broken but not soft-spoken,
Tree
EFL Standings for 2020
| EFL | ||||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB | RS | RA |
| Kaline Drive | 27 | 22 | .552 | — | 221.6 | 197.5 |
| Haviland Dragons | 27 | 22 | .542 | 0.5 | 242.4 | 221.9 |
| Flint Hill Tornadoes | 26 | 22 | .535 | 0.9 | 252.9 | 245.7 |
| Peshastin Pears | 24 | 25 | .492 | 2.9 | 264.4 | 261.6 |
| Bellingham Cascades | 22 | 26 | .461 | 4.4 | 243.8 | 275.9 |
| Cottage Cheese | 23 | 26 | .460 | 4.5 | 250.9 | 274.1 |
| D.C. Balk | 22 | 27 | .451 | 4.9 | 223.0 | 245.9 |
| Canberra Kangaroos | 20 | 29 | .412 | 6.8 | 246.5 | 297.8 |
| Old Detroit Wolverines | 19 | 29 | .404 | 7.1 | 225.8 | 275.2 |
| Pittsburgh Alleghenys | 17 | 31 | .359 | 9.3 | 217.6 | 290.9 |
| Portland Rosebuds | 14 | 35 | .295 | 12.6 | 227.3 | 355.6 |
Kaline: “L,” 4-4 (44PA; 9.3IP)
| AVG: 0.263 | OBP: 0.341 | SLG: 0.263 | OPS: 0.604 |
| ERA: 0.97 | WHIP: 0.538 |
I’ve never been one to consider myself bad luck, so I am relieved to know my update days are not the culprit when it comes to the fan-favorite Drive winning the EFL this year. A strong outing on the mound from Jose Urquidy was an outright display of determination, willing his team to continue in first place with each pitch he threw. After 7 innings, he had given up only 3 hits and one earned run, while striking out 7. At the plate the Drive continued to stall a bit, collecting 10 hits but all of them singles. The two rentals, Jason Kipnis and Willson Contreras, led the way with two singles each. The Drive increased their lead by .2 games over the Dragons and .4 games over the Tornadoes for another day on top.
Haviland: “W,” 3-5 (39PA; 7IP)
| AVG: 0.222 | OBP: 0.256 | SLG: 0.306 | OPS: 0.562 |
| ERA: 3.86 | WHIP: 1.429 |
Neither the Drive nor the Dragons are hitting like they have a strong resolve to win this season, but it hasn’t mattered too much since the pitchers have made up the lackluster batsmen. For the Dragons it was Yu Darvish who sailed through 7 innings giving up 3 runs while striking out 7. The Dragons managed only 8 hits on the day, and 7 of them were singles, but they did do one thing the Drive did not – hit a HR, contributed by Gary Sanchez. Luis Robert stole 2 bases and Carlos Correa earned the only BB on the day, right before having to leave the game with an injury.
Flint Hill: L, 3-8 (57PA; 17.4IP)
| AVG: 0.275 | OBP: 0.333 | SLG: 0.412 | OPS: 0.745 |
| ERA: 5.69 | WHIP: 1.724 |
This is the first mediocre pitching day of the month for the Tornadoes (and a few of those ER are not allocated this month). I knew it was bound to happen at some point because our pitching has been so good this month, but it still stings a little. The hitting showed a little more life yesterday, and if the Drive and Dragons continue to swat at little flies while the Tornadoes remember how to launch big flies, there might be something that can happen here. Willi Castro is having himself a nice little end of season party, collecting 3 hits last night, including a HR. When the Cheese traded him to me they said, “Do you think he will be any good?” Turns out the answer, at least for now, is yes!
Peshastin: L, 6-11 (45PA; 8IP)
| AVG: 0.300 | OBP: 0.364 | SLG: 0.600 | OPS: 0.964 |
| ERA: 10.13 | WHIP: 1.625 |
The Pears finally met a pitching line they couldn’t launch themselves past. This stinker was delivered by the usually stalwart Jack Flaherty, who gave up 9 runs in 3IP to send the Pears to their loss. The hitters were, once again, very good as Peshastin has firmly ensconced itself as the top team this month in RC/G at 7.69, a full two runs better than the second place Cheese. Gio Urshela and Clint Frazier were beneficiaries of the massacre in the Bronx yesterday, combining to go 5 for 7 with 3 2Bs and a HR.
Bellingham: W, 6-4 (35PA; 9.3IP)
| AVG: 0.300 | OBP: 0.400 | SLG: 0.367 | OPS: 0.767 |
| ERA: 2.90 | WHIP: 1.183 |
The Cascades showed up yesterday to prove it wasn’t a special dose of grace they needed, but merely a start from Brett Anderson. Anderson’s 6IP and 2ER allowed sparked a return to the Cascade’s winning ways. Justin Turner also returned to the Dodger lineup, and collected 3 hits, while Bo Bichette added in 2 more hits in his return. There have been more returns this week for the Cascades than there are at Target after a bride and groom open their wedding gifts. Welcome back to your winning ways, Bellingham!
Cottage: W, 4-0 (40PA; 9IP)
| AVG: 0.308 | OBP: 0.325 | SLG: 0.462 | OPS: 0.787 |
| ERA: 2.00 | WHIP: 1.111 |
The Cheese plated (haha) 4 runs while giving up 0. That’s a recipe for creamy goodness, dairy I say (I don’t have any idea why I started using puns at this moment…I apologize). Tony Gonsolin was lights out, pitching the Cheese (and the Cheese’s second favorite team, the Dodgers) to a victory over those pesky Padres. He went 7IP and gave up 1ER. And Taijuan Walker gave up only 1ER in his short outing, though the other team scored 6 unearned runs against him. I imagine there was great joy in the Cottage after noticing that 6 of those runs were unearned! Nate Lowe and jeff McNeil combined to go 4 for 8 with 2 HRs and a SB.
DC: L, 3-8 (29PA; 5.7IP)
| AVG: 0.214 | OBP: 0.241 | SLG: 0.357 | OPS: 0.599 |
| ERA: 6.32 | WHIP: 1.404 |
There Balk had a not great day, but there is a silver lining – Tim Anderson. He collected another 3 hits yesterday to take everyone’s eyes off of Joe Musgrove’s poor outing. I mean, all Anderson does is hit. It is incredible. He is hitting .464 this month and his OPS is 1.117. He has a shot at hitting .440 this year, and it will be fun to see how he does in these final 10ish days of the season.
Canberra: L, 6-7 (45PA; 2IP)
| AVG: 0.300 | OBP: 0.378 | SLG: 0.475 | OPS: 0.853 |
| ERA: 4.50 | WHIP: 1.500 |
This was a solid offensive day for Canberra, led by Vladito’s 3 for 5 with a 2B and a HR. The problem with the pitching was volume, though James Karinchak seems to be in a bit of funk lately. The Roos real worry, though, is the Wolverines who crept even closer to them yesterday, now just .3 games behind them. As someone who is trying to catch a family member, I know that these times can feel harrowing, but if any family member is going to be caught, I would rather it be me catching the Dragons than it is the Wolverines catching the Roos. Do you think you can help me out, Ryan?
Old Detroit: “L,” 6-5 (37PA: no pitching)
| AVG: 0.314 | OBP: 0.351 | SLG: 0.486 | OPS: 0.837 |
With a nearly identical offensive day to the Roos, the Wolverines managed to turn it into something positive, namely an inching closer to their offspring. We have now learned from OD about two different text messages sent from his sons, which leads me to believe that any text message sent to him is fair game for use in this somewhat public domain. So beware! However, I will say that in this instance, the text message from Ben was one that sparked joy in me, and for that I am grateful. And we also are hoping/praying with you, Ron, about this great opportunity. Oh, and about the team – James McCann led all hitters going 2 for 3 with a BB, 2B and a HR.
Pittsburgh: “L,” 5-1 (33PA; 10IP)
| AVG: 0.250 | OBP: 0.333 | SLG: 0.357 | OPS: 0.690 |
| ERA: 0.90 | WHIP: 0.700 |
These are the cruelest types of days in the EFL, especially for a team like the Alleghenys who are starving for any kind of good news during this abysmal season. Dane Dunning threw a brilliant game, going 7IP and giving up 1ER while striking out 7. And Byron Buxton added some good old-fashioned fun with an inside-the-park home run.
Portland: L, 5-9 (30PA; 2IP)
| AVG: 0.200 | OBP: 0.333 | SLG: 0.480 | OPS: 0.813 |
| ERA: 9.00 | WHIP: 3.000 |
With this loss the Rosebuds tied the Pirates for the worst record, both now sitting at a .295 winning percentage. They earned 5 hits and 4 BBs, while coughing up 9 runs due mostly to replacement innings. One very unkind thing they did was to unleash Javy Baez (who they got from the Tornadoes) onto Tornado pitcher Carlos Carrasco yesterday, and all things considered, that just wasn’t very nice. We especially didn’t like how Baez admired his home run after he hit it. That was just too much…(do I sound like the many whiny managers in MLB yet?)
Combined MLB + EFL Standings for 2020
| AL East | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 31 | 17 | .646 | — |
| New York Yankees | 27 | 21 | .563 | 4 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 26 | 21 | .553 | 4.5 |
| Flint Hill Tornadoes | 26 | 22 | .535 | 5.3 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 21 | 27 | .438 | 10 |
| Old Detroit Wolverines | 19 | 29 | .404 | 11.6 |
| Boston Red Sox | 18 | 31 | .367 | 13.5 |
| NL East | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Atlanta Braves | 29 | 20 | .592 | — |
| Miami Marlins | 24 | 22 | .522 | 3.5 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 24 | 23 | .511 | 4 |
| D.C. Balk | 22 | 27 | .451 | 6.9 |
| New York Mets | 21 | 27 | .438 | 7.5 |
| Canberra Kangaroos | 20 | 29 | .412 | 8.8 |
| Washington Nationals | 17 | 29 | .370 | 10.5 |
| AL Central | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Chicago White Sox | 32 | 16 | .667 | — |
| Minnesota Twins | 30 | 20 | .600 | 3 |
| Cleveland Indians | 26 | 22 | .542 | 6 |
| Bellingham Cascades | 22 | 26 | .461 | 9.9 |
| Detroit Tigers | 21 | 26 | .447 | 10.5 |
| Kansas City Royals | 20 | 29 | .408 | 12.5 |
| Pittsburgh Alleghenys | 17 | 31 | .359 | 14.8 |
| NL Central | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Chicago Cubs | 29 | 20 | .592 | — |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 21 | 22 | .488 | 5 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 24 | 26 | .480 | 5.5 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 22 | 25 | .468 | 6 |
| Cottage Cheese | 23 | 26 | .460 | 6.5 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 14 | 33 | .298 | 14 |
| AL West | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Oakland A’s | 30 | 19 | .612 | — |
| Kaline Drive | 27 | 22 | .552 | 3 |
| Haviland Dragons | 27 | 22 | .542 | 3.4 |
| Houston Astros | 24 | 24 | .500 | 5.5 |
| Seattle Mariners | 22 | 26 | .458 | 7.5 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 20 | 29 | .408 | 10 |
| Texas Rangers | 17 | 31 | .354 | 12.5 |
| NL West | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 34 | 15 | .694 | — |
| San Diego Padres | 32 | 18 | .640 | 2.5 |
| Peshastin Pears | 24 | 25 | .492 | 9.9 |
| San Francisco Giants | 23 | 24 | .489 | 10 |
| Colorado Rockies | 22 | 25 | .468 | 11 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 18 | 31 | .367 | 16 |
| Portland Rosebuds | 14 | 35 | .295 | 19.6 |