C'mon, I expected that terrible '80s hair band headline pun when I clicked through to ESPN, and it was in fact the lead story with that very headline on ESPN.com's home page ... the story, which usually does not have the same headline as the lead feature image, indeed does not, choosing the more pedestrian Angels' Jered Weaver tosses second no-hitter of season.
Jered is the second Weaver to be a big-league pitcher, after his brother Jeff Weaver's 104-win supersonic flameout . If he has another 15 wins left in his 2012 holster, Jered will become the, yes, second in his own family to that celebrated milestone.
And you know, that headline made me think, is the kid Weaver, as brilliant as he is, tired yet of being the second guy to do something? (I mean, quick, Box No-Prize to whoever first names, without looking it up, the second man on the moon after Neil Armstrong.) To wit:
Jered is the second Weaver to be a big-league pitcher, after his brother Jeff Weaver's 104-win supersonic flameout . If he has another 15 wins left in his 2012 holster, Jered will become the, yes, second in his own family to that celebrated milestone.
- Jered's no-no is the second of 2012, after Phil Humber's celebrated perfect game, so it's also the second-best no-hitter of the year.
- It's not even all that new to Angels Nation, not because of the ridiculous Nolan Ryan quadruple-no-no's of the '70s, but this is also the Angels second no-hitter in as many seasons (Ervin Santana tossed one in 2011).
- Jered finished second in the AL Cy Young voting last year after going 18-8 with a 2.41 ERA. He and Detroit Tiger winner Justin Verlander was also MVP, so nobody can rationally argue that Jered weaver was "robbed," but is it frustrating for the younger Weaver that he and the MVP were the only pitchers listed on every Cy ballot?
- Only one Minnesota batter reached base through the first seven innings, and that was when catcher Chris Iannetta committed a passed ball on strike three to Chris Parmelee with two out in the second. Josh Willingham drew the only walk Weaver allowed with two outs in the seventh to become the final, and second Twin to get there.
We will defer the obvious "Twin killing" puns here ... congratulations, Jered. We here on Da Box tip our caps to you and those few of us on Da Box here in Texas nod appreciatively in the comfortable knowledge that this may well be the Angels' highlight of the season!
But wait ... did the aforementioned Jeff ever throw a MLB no-hitter? Why no, he did not. So, oh brother, there's the "first" we've been loking for. Jered's no-hitter is the first in his family!
