This Week in Baseball – All-Star Game, Phillies Phirst, Dipoto Extended, Rays Stadium, Mejia Returns
Hey Now! You’re an All-Star…
President Donald Trump isn’t the only one who gets to arbitrarily choose someone to come to Washington, D.C. On Tuesday, July 17, Major League Baseball will present the 89th annual All-Star Game Mid-Summer Exhibition Extravaganza at Nationals Park. The rosters for both teams feature the some of the biggest names and brightest young stars in the sport—and J.A. Happ.
Phillies in Phirst…
In between a series in New York and Miami, the Phillies made a one-game stop in Baltimore on Thursday night for a make up game against the Orioles. The game was close, but the Phillies came away with the win, putting them in first place in the National League East. The Phillies’ success this season is a confluence of solid all-around player performances and Gabe Kapler’s unorthodox management style. For clarification, “Unorthodox” is what you call it when things go well that are otherwise “odd,” “confusing” and “freaking nuts.”
Mariners Extend Jerry Dipoto…
The contract of Executive VP & GM Jerry Dipoto was extended by the Seattle Mariners for several years, due to the team’s success on the field. This season, Seattle boasts the fourth-best record in baseball. He has made over 60 trades with over 20 different teams while with the Mariners. So, even if he didn’t get the contract extension, he was probably going to trade for himself anyway.
Rays of Hope…
The Tampa Bay Rays unveiled plans for a new domed stadium that would take them across Tampa Bay to the Ybor City section of Tampa at a cost of nearly a billion dollars. The 32,000-seat stadium would be the smallest in MLB and would be covered by a fully enclosed and translucent roof, not a retractable dome. This way it will be easier for scientists to observe the Rays fan in their natural habitat.
Reinstated and It Feels So Good…
After receiving a lifetime ban in 2016 for failing three drug tests for PEDs, Mets pitcher Jenrry Mejia has been conditionally reinstated. He can return to baseball activities during Spring Training 2019. Mejia met with MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, and after expressing contrition, was reinstated. He promised he won’t ever do it again and that those other PEDs didn’t mean anything.
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