Quote of the Week
“ I understand the reasoning behind service time manipulation. But in the era of two wild cards, it no longer makes as much sense for a large portion of the league's fans to be cool with it happening. ”
– Brandon McCarthy, Atlanta Braves
This Week in Baseball
Show Me The Money…
Jose Altuve, the shortest guy in MLB, just signed a 5 year contract extension that begins in 2020 for a whopping $150 million bucks. The reigning 2017 MVP is due to be paid $6 million this season and $6.5 million next season, but will now also receive an $11 million signing bonus for 2018 and a $10 million signing bonus in 2019. Altuve will average $30.2 million a year from 2020-2024. With that kind of money, he can finally quit his second job at the Lollipop Guild.
Suspension of Belief…
Minnesota Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco has been suspended for 80 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance, Stanozolol, the league announced. Polanco accepted the suspension but said that he did not intentionally consume the steroid. He also explained that “I just read Playboy for the articles” and “I’m trying to stay away from carbs” and “the check is in the mail.”
No Way Wahoo…
Jim Thome will go into the Hall as a member of the Cleveland Indians, but the hat on his plaque will not feature the controversial Chief Wahoo logo. After being announced as one of baseball’s newest Hall of Famers, Thome said he does not want the Cleveland Indians’ controversial Chief Wahoo logo to appear on his Hall of Fame plaque, and he is getting his wish. On Wednesday the National Baseball Hall of Fame announced the Chief Wahoo logo will not appear on any plaque going forward. Maybe now Native Americans will finally lighten up about the hundreds of years of systematic oppression.
Cheerio, Yanks and Sox…
The Yankees are coming! Er, so are the Sox?? The Yankees and the Red Sox are nearing a deal to play a regular season series in London, England. MLB has staged games in Tokyo and Mexico, but these would be the first MLB games played in Europe, where NFL games are played annually. If they don’t rename the Red Sox to the Red Coats for this series, then why are they even bothering?
That’s Gonna Leave a Mark…
Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner suffered a broken left wrist Monday night on a hit-by-pitch and is out indefinitely, probably several weeks. Turner was hit by a Kendall Graveman pitch in the first inning of a spring training game against the Oakland Athletics. The X-rays showed a small, non-displaced fracture. Non-displaced fracture? What does that even mean? The bone is either sticking out or you rub some dirt on it and get back in there.
On the Air
“ Yes, if they fly in on unicorns from Narnia, the Orioles could have a good rotation. ”
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Episode 60: Jose Altuve; Eugenio Suarez; Ronald Acuna; Justin Turner; Screwed Minor Leaguers; Naked on LSD; March Sadness
First and foremost, congrats to AL MVP Jose Altuve on his five-year contract extension! Episode 60 of Foul Territory: A Baseball Podcast—the Dallas Keuchel edition—kicks off with this week’s Headlines, with hosts Jed Rigney and Jon Sumple discussing Jose Altuve’s …
Going Deep
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National League Predictions With Accompanying Soundtrack
The sexy thing to do this time of year is predict the MLB season. Some grandiose article where I share American and National League predictions, and who will make the playoffs, win MVP and the World Series. I can say …
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How Johnny Cueto Pushed Me Away From Fantasy Baseball For Good
The final 25-Man rosters are just about ready. From there, it’s time to break camp and hit the road for the start of the 2018 MLB season. How the new pace-of-play rules will play out remains to be seen, but …
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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 …
Off Base
