Pierzynski takes pitch framing too far; fantasy guru shares masterful prank


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SALT LAKE CITY — Welcome to From Left Field! Here are a few sports stories worthy of your clicks this Thursday morning.

1. AJ Pierzynski takes pitch framing to a whole new level

The art of pitch framing, or a catcher strategically moving his glove an instant after a pitch has landed in it so as to make the pitch appear closer to the strike zone than it might really have been, is a popular topic in the major leagues today. Research using detailed, computerized pitch data has shown that there are legitimately certain catchers who add value to their team just by being very good at pitch framing.

AJ Pierzynski, former member of the Salt Lake Bees (they went by a different name back then), has begun taking things a bit too far. Here he is attempting to frame a pitch that actually bounces before it crosses home plate.

Somehow, this isn't even the first time Pierzynski has attempted such a ludicrous coverup this season. It's not even the first time this month, in fact.

One certainly can't fault his commitment to the craft.

2. Fantasy guru shares fantastic prank

ESPN's Matthew Berry, perhaps the most famous fantasy sports expert in all the land, can lighten things up a bit in between television appearances and detailed columns. Wednesday, he let his Instagram get in on the fun, re-posting an elaborate and fantastically designed prank from some unknown third party.

[This is pretty amazing. Guy photo shopped this and sent around to his league to try and freak Dez's owner out. It's FAKE if you're just skimming. #fantasylife](https://instagram.com/p/62zQUamK2l/) A photo posted by Matthew Berry (@matthewberrytmr) on

That's a spot-on replica of an ESPN player page, in this case the page for Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys superstar wide receiver and consensus top-15 pick in nearly any fantasy football format. This clever user replaced the actual text for his playing status with a fake note stating Bryant had torn his ACL, an injury that would cause him to miss the entire season if real.

One has to stop to admire the subtlety of the prank here. The creator used all the little details you'd see from ESPN — the injury type in parentheses, the red dot next to his "Out" status, even a fake citation for the reporter who "broke" the news. This almost certainly sent thousands of fantasy owners into a frenzied panic when Berry shared it, even despite his disclaimer. Kudos to the curator of such a fantastic prank.

3. DeAndre Jordan can't seem to make anyone happy

As if a saga featuring multiple NBA basketball players and coaches holding a glorified slumber party at another NBA player's house until said player was free to sign a free-agent contract (and in the process spurn another team he'd verbally committed to) wasn't enough, it turns out DeAndre Jordan inadvertently cost his incumbent team as well.

NBA fines Clippers for attempting to circumvent salary cap with DeAndre Jordanhttp://t.co/HG461mpjJO — Kurt Helin (@basketballtalk)August 25, 2015

In reality, it's not as bad as it sounds. The Clippers tried to offer an endorsement deal to Jordan as part of their pitch to keep him in town well before the eventual drama unfolded. The NBA found such an offer to be in breach of their rules against circumventing the collective bargaining agreement through outside avenues, and fined the team $250,000. The Clippers claimed it was an honest mistake, and they're probably telling the truth.

It's still funny, though. If there was actually some nefarious intent at play, it's funny that the team would think a reported $200,000 Lexus endorsement was worth enough to violate a pretty major NBA rule. And if they really had no idea, it's perhaps even funnier that an NBA franchise worth $2 billion as recently as a year ago doesn't have someone in these meetings who has, you know, read the rules.

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Ben Dowsett

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