Headscratchers / Major League

• In the bottom of the 9th, Taylor's playcall involves Hayes starting towards 3rd base once the pitcher begins his motion (as if he's stealing). This allows him to score from 2nd on Taylor's bunt. But on the first pitch after the signal, the pitcher throws near Taylor's head to knock him down. Hayes should've been running toward 3rd on the pitch due to the signal. There's the possibility they thought the pitcher may throw at him (Bob Uecker's announcing does mention he leads the league in hit-batsmen), but Taylor was already down a strike so if they're wrong, either Taylor has to take the next pitch — and possibly be down 0-2 which would make bunting a less likely option — or bunt the next pitch and not have Hayes running.
  • Keep in mind that a lot of attention, at least subtly, is given to Taylor's intelligence and knowledge of many players around the league thanks to his veteran experience. The Duke, being the league leader in saves, likely would've been top of the list when it came to scouting. He knows his tendencies well, including his "hit-batsmen" stat. Adding onto that, baseball is notorious for outright expecting retaliation if an attempt is made to show someone up (just see all the hit batters when a previous Home Run is admired a bit too long). So it's early in the count, Taylor is no running threat if he is put on base due to his knees, and he called his shot against someone with a Hair-Trigger Temper. Taylor knew what was coming. And the last thing to note is, even if this entire gambit fails the game is still tied going into Extras with the heart of the Indians lineup coming around in the Bottom of the 10th and a fresh Rick Vaughn still dealing at the Top of the 10th who just got past Heywood. The Indians had a massive advantage at this point which allowed Taylor to take this type of risk to end the game.
• How is Ms. Phelps able to get away with half the crap she does to the team (for example, stripping down their locker room equipment and downgrading their transportation) without the player's union stepping in?
• Also, how is no one made suspicious of her plot when none of the previous season's players (excluding the possibilty of Dorn) are carried over and instead she's building a new roster from scratch consisting of has-beens and nobodies?