This Week in Baseball – Ticket Giveaway, Pace of Play, Tebow, Bauer, Correa
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.”
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