Quote of the Week
“ Live in Chicago and don't want to go to work next week? Come out to Wrigley today and catch pneumonia while watching 'baseball.' ”
– Brandon McCarthy, Atlanta Braves
This Week in Baseball
Just Like the Good Ol' Days...
Just when you thought it was safe to watch a Red Sox/Yankees game, the rivalry is back in full... swing! The two teams cleared the benches twice, with the second turning into a full-blown baseball brawl. The Yankees' Tyler Austin was at the center of both fracases – starting things off with a hard slide into Brock Holt and then getting plunked with a fastball by Joe Kelly. The Yankees/Red Sox rivalry is back! With all the turmoil in the world, it's nice that there are some things we can still count on.
The Stars Come out to Los Angeles...
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been awarded the 2020 All-Star Game. The team held a press conference with the actual announcement being made by the legendary Vin Scully. The Dodgers last hosted an All-Star Game in 1980, so it will have been 40 years. But it's Los Angeles and with all the work they've had done, it looks more like 30 years.
Disabled List TripAdvisor...
Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who is on the 10-day disabled list with a back injury, suggested a Cincinnati hotel bed contributed to his issues. "I think the next time I go [to Cincinnati], I'll sleep on the floor," he said. Or he could do what most other intelligent people do and just stay away from Cincinnati.
Marlins Feeling Irie, mon...
The Miami Marlins are claiming in Miami-Dade County court that the franchise is a corporate citizen of the British Virgin Islands in an effort to get out of a lawsuit filed in February by the county and the city of Miami against former owner Jeffrey Loria over his $1.2 billion sale of the team. This is not surprising because many people consider the Marlins to be the Bermuda Triangle of baseball.
What Are the Odds...
With the legalization of sports betting across the U.S. looking more likely, players unions from major North American sports leagues announced on Thursday they collectively plan to serve as a voice to protect players' interests – which is legal jargon for making sure they get a cut of the money. This is a smart move by the unions who should also be involved in when to hold them, when to fold them, when to walk away and when to run.
On the Air
“ They're calling it Sho-Time. They're stealing from the basketball Lakers. Classic of the Anaheim Angels to steal from Los Angeles...again. ”
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Episode 62: Opening Day Recap; Soft Tossing; Adrian Beltre Record; Shohei Ohtani HRs; Dodgers Doldrums; Giancarlo Stanton Booed; Gabe Kapler Kerfuffle; The Masters
First and foremost, so much for all that Spring Training banter about Shohei Ohtani not cutting it as an MLB hitter. Episode 62 of Foul Territory: A Baseball Podcast—the Sean Doolittle episode—takes a fond look back at last week’s Opening …
Going Deep
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Where Does Your MLB Team Rank on Twitter?
Five years ago, I had a pretty simple idea for a story: I searched the web for the number of followers that each team in MLB had on Twitter. I wrote the story and had it published online, and the …
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Beltre, Colon Mark the End of an Era
The 20th century is about to yield to the 21st in Major League Baseball. In dedicating his album Scarecrow to his recently departed grandfather, John Mellencamp wrote “There is nothing more sad or glorious than generations changing hands.” And, whether …
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Mark McGwire Gives Baseball the Middle Finger
God bless journalism. Without it, we wouldn’t have gems like the one we got from Mark McGwire yesterday courtesy of The Athletic. In a single interview he gave a big middle finger to the Maris Family, baseball fans, scientists and …
Off Base
