All the little things can add up (Tuesday’s post)

(THIS POST WAS WRITTEN ON TUESDAY, AUG 23 — but didn’t publish when I told it to. I probably shut my computer before it finished posting.  So here it is now, late, and already out of date. My sincere apologies.)

The most interesting plays Monday, in my opinion, were not made on the field of play. They don’t show up in the box scores. There are no all-time records, and (as far as I know) no particular sabermetric recognition for them. They were spectacular, but their effects were subtle — in something that didn’t happen.

One ended up this way:

The other one ended like this —

or more accurately, like this:

In a close race, someone is going to be in the playoffs, and someone is going to be out, because of these plays.

Andrew Benintendi has never played for the EFL. Yet.  Shawn O’Malley used to, but doesn’t anymore. For now.  But we have a close pennant race (if we squint — the Dragons are trying to mess that up), and small things could very well add up for us, too.  Like, maybe, these small things:

• The Dragons saw their lead shrink, for once, from 2.4 to 2.0 games.
• The Wolverines, flat road kill yesterday morning, managed to peel themselves up off the turf and leap into the stands to catch second place,  snatching it away from the Rosebuds.
• Meanwhile Pittsburgh is trying to sneak back into the pennant race while Canberra and Peshastin are holding steady in place.
• Flint Hill slipped back past the Drive — but the Cheese did that, too, when it was their turn to succumb to the Drive, and look where they are now.
• The Balk are back within range of the Braves. So plucky, so inspiring. I wouldn’t mind it if my team could produce 10 runs a game.