Thirty one.

I am terribly fond of the Durham Bulls; it pleases me to see so many guys who came through Durham doing so well in Tampa Bay right now. (Except for Matt Joyce, who is hitting .206. But I still love him.) But the Bulls are kind of old hat — we know them, we’re used to them, and we’re fond of them, but often the visiting teams are more interesting in the immediate moment. They’re new! They’re exciting! They took ballet classes in college to improve their footwork at first base!

Yonder Alonso still has a beautiful swing, and is a little bit of (a lot) a brat. (Jim Morris would not have put up with that when Yonder was at Miami.) Sometimes I have trouble remembering that some of the boys we watch play in the minor leagues are really just that — little boys. Alonso is barely 23, but I guess that between Miami and the minors, I’ve been watching him long enough that I forget that.

And Aroldis Chapman throws just as hard as you’ve heard, but it’s really his curve ball that’s a work of art.

The light was strange last night. All the colors seemed flattened out and bland. Ugh.