Quote of the Week
“ The hardest thing to do in baseball is to hit a round baseball with a round bat squarely. ”
– Ted Williams
This Week in Baseball
Kids Watch for Free...
In an incredible move, the Baltimore Orioles announced a program that will allow kids to attend home games free of charge. Every adult who purchases a regularly-priced upper deck ticket can bring up to two children, age 9 or under. The “Kids Cheer Free” program begins for the March 31 game against Minnesota. Fulfilling a child's request to "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is going to be a bit cheaper at Camden Yards this season. Though there's not much that can be done about the fact that they have to live in Baltimore.
The Need for Speed...
In an effort to speed up extra inning games and to save pitchers arms, Minor League Baseball, in partnership with Major League Baseball, announced a runner will be placed on second base at the start of all extra innings across every level of the minors beginning in the 2018 season. Teenage boys around the country now hope all of their dates get to extra innings. (Get it? Because then they'll get to second base.)
Take a Knee...
The New York Mets demoted Tim Tebow after a dreadful spring performance. Tebow’s demotion came as no surprise after he went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in an exhibition against the Astros yesterday. Overall he was 1-for-18 with 11 strikeouts in spring training. It's a rare feat for someone to be as good at baseball as they are at football.
A Little Bird Told Me...
Trump supporter Trevor Bauer thinks that MLB is trying to silence him on Twitter. The Indians pitcher said in a tweet Thursday that he had just been in a meeting that encouraged “all players to take a stance and be leaders politically.” Bauer found it “disingenuous,” and then suggested that the commissioner’s office has tried to curtail his outspokenness. This is ridiculous. These are grown men. They should be allowed to send off whatever messages they want. Except for Brett Favre probably.
Excuse Me...
Carlos Correa of the recently crowned World Champion Houston Astros, skipped the traditional post-Championship White House visit to aid Puerto Rico. Stating that “it was not politics or anything,” Correa used that off day to support efforts to provide relief for the people in Puerto Rico. Okay, sure. I think I'll try that next time I don't want to go somewhere. "Hey, I can't make it to your engagement party. I'm supporting efforts to provide relief for the people in Puerto Rico."
On the Air
“ I started thinking what would the upgrades be for the fan experience at Comerica Park in Detroit...first of all, you gotta have Hunt A Hobo. ”
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Episode 59: I, Tonya; Jake Arrieta Finally Signs; So Does Lance Lynn, Neil Walker & Jonathan Lucroy; Orioles Offer Free Tickets; NFL Free Agency Bonanza!; Stephen Hawking
First and foremost, it’s about time someone signed Jake Arrieta! And such a deal! Second of all, our apologies for the technical snafu with Jon’s audio. Apparently his microphone was not connected properly. He blames climate change. On to Episode …
Going Deep
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Benadryl-Driven Epiphany: Expect a Surprise in the NL West
Despite my wild success as a blogger, I do have a day job. With a day job comes the opportunity to forge friendships, learn from other intelligent people or just pig out and b.s. for two hours on a Friday …
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Young Manager Movement Made for Millennials
Exploring how teams are currently being built is an exercise in math, psychology and talent evaluation. What is driving the sport of baseball: players or money? How do you maximize your return on investment? Is the key to the future …
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’70s-Born MLB Players Nearing Extinction
In case you missed it — and many people reading this probably did — the 1970s were a wild time. The decade gave us Star Wars and Space Invaders, The Fonz and Farrah Fawcett, Van Halen and Disco Demolition Night. …
Off Base
