Man, Tanner, that's such a bummer

Tanner Houck is a promising young pitcher with the Red Sox. I saw him pitch the other day, and although he coughed up a couple of runs and got the L, he looked good. (Not his fault that the Sox left their bats at home.)

Tanner Houck is also something of a maroon.

How else to explain his refusal to get vaccinated. 

“I think it’s a personal choice for everyone whether they get it or not,” Houck told the Globe...“So, that’s all I really got to say on it.” (Source: Boston Globe)

Personal choice? That's not how pandemics work, kiddo.

Shamefully, the Red Sox have been and remain one of the least vaccinated teams in baseball. And that really matters when it comes to playing their division rival, the Toronto Blue Jays. Because Canada won't let Houck or any other unvaxed player (or any traveler, for that matter) into their country. And the Red Sox, because they're in the same division, play a lot of games in Toronto. They're there now for four games, and have two three-game series in Toronto later this season. Ten games in all. Which means Houck, if he continues to dig his spiked heels in about vaccination, could miss three starts.

Toronto looks to be the better team, but you never know. The Red Sox made it to the playoffs last year. They could make a run. The division or the wild card could come down to those last three games of the season, which will be played in Toronto. Swell!

It's a bigger deal for a pitcher to miss games than a position player. It upsets the rotation, etc. And the Red Sox rotation is fragile to begin with. 

There are a couple of other players - as yet to be named - who will be Canada no shows.

Manager Alex Cora - himself currently out with mild covid (though vaccinated) - is pretty much shrugging things off. 

“We knew it beforehand, so we’ll plan accordingly.”

Looking forward to seeing who the other unvaxed putzes are so I know who to boo next time I'm at America's Most Beloved Ballpark.  

Houck admitted not being eligible to pitch as a result of the mandate isn’t a good feeling.

“I’m definitely bummed that I won’t be able to make that start,” Houck said. “But the starts that I am able to make, I plan on giving 100 percent for this team, if not moreso. Anything I can do for this team to help them win, I’ll do it.”

Not a good feeling? "Definitely bummed."

Wow, Tanner, that's such a bummer. 

If only there were something you could do so that you'd be able to make a start, other than "giving 100 percent for this team, if not moreso."

Tanner Houck is early on in his career. He only makes $700K or so a year. And he won't get paid while he's on the restricted list for his covid refusal. But if he turns out to be any good, he stands to make a ton of money. Teammate Chris Sale makes $30M a year, pretty much for doing nothing. He had a couple of decent seasons with the Red Sox, but in the last two years he won a whopping 11 games. Last year, he made $6M per win. Sweet! He's out injured again this year. Unclear when he'll be back. Oh, and if he remains unvaccinated - which he is to date - he won't be able to play in Toronto either, unless Canada eases up on their rules. 

So, Tanner, bro, there is something you can do to help this team win. You can get yourself $&&@#) vaccination.

I know you're young. I know you're fit and brimming with good health. I know you're a Trumpist. 

But FFS. Even Trump has been vaccinated. 

You don't want to be bummed? Roll up that sleeve!

Meanwhile, you can buy a Tanner Houck facemask. Number 89. So this lunkhead may actually be profiting from the pandemic. Maybe it'll make up for the pay days he's missing out on. On the other hand, I don't think many people are buying cloth masks these days. And I don't think any Red Sox fan still wearing a mask is going to want to be sporting Tanner Houck's number.