In case you haven’t been paying attention to what’s going on in L.A. right now, basically the entire starting nine is on paternity leave. OK, that’s a bit dramatic … there are some pitchers, too! …

Obviously the first thing you do when you see a stat like this is the reverse math. It’s the end of April now, so what the hell was going on nine months ago?

Do a little arithmetic, carry the one, and … BAM, nine months ago would’ve been last July. The dog days of summer on the baseball calendar.

Most importantly, it was right around the Major League Baseball All-Star break. Bingo! Case closed, baby!

[Hey, when you get a few days off … Meanwhile, congrats to all the dads-to-be! — Ed]