“An outbreak has spread throughout their clubhouse and brought the total cases in recent days to at least 14

Although life can feel normal some days, this serves as a reminder of just how far we really are from returning to life as usual.

For example, Fauci says he won’t go in a plane or eat in a restaurant. (Nor will I!)

He’s back among the top ten players, as ranked by the highest batting averages in the majors. He’s a solid ninth, with a batting average of ….

ZERO.

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I just love early-season stats in general, but this one makes not the slightest bit of sense. Several of Albert’s teammates have as many or more plate appearances and decent batting averages, but they didn’t make the list. There must be some kink in ESPN’s algorithm.

By the way, I may have made this point before, but …

Through the 2012 season, Albert’s lifetime batting numbers were very similar to DiMaggio’s complete career. In fact, Albert’s were a hair better.

DiMaggio Pujols through 2012
AB 6821 6919
HITS 2214 2246
BA .325 .325
OBP .398 .414
SA .579 .608
2B + 3B 520 520
HR 361 475
R 1390 1376
RBI 1537 1434
OPS+ 155 168
MVP 3 3

Of course, their stats are no longer similar. DiMaggio quit after his first off year. Albert has kept playing long past his prime, so all of his percentage stats have declined as his counting stats have increased. If he stays moderately healthy this year, he will finish in the all-time top five in both doubles and homers. (He needs only 7 doubles and 4 homers.) He is already in the top five in RBI and extra base hits.

De Havilland went on to earn her own Academy Award in 1946 for her performance in “To Each His Own,” a melodrama about out-of-wedlock birth. A second Oscar came three years later for “The Heiress,” in which she portrayed a plain young homebody (as plain as it was possible to make de Havilland) opposite Montgomery Clift and Sir Ralph Richardson in an adaptation of Henry James’ “Washington Square.”