MLB News and Views from Toronto's #1 Cubs Fan
Sports teams are owned by rich assholes. Rich assholes tend to support political assholes like Donald Trump. Fans and media personalities often admonish players and other fans to "keep politics out of sports" but don't expect the same from team owners. An ugly reminder of this fact surfaced on Wednesday night with the news release…
The Cincinnati Reds made a number of moves over the offseason to bolster their pitching staff and offense in order to make a run at relevance in the NL Central Division. The biggest splash came from the acquisition of OF Yasiel Puig from the Los Angeles Dodgers in order to get some power bats in…
Continue reading ➞ Who’s Been a Bigger Reds Contributor – Puig or Winker?
On May 7, SP Mike Fiers of the Oakland Athletics threw the 300th no-hitter in major-league history, becoming the 35th pitcher in MLB history to throw at least two no-nos. His feat was unusual given that he had not been effective to start the season (entering the game 0-2 with a 9.41 ERA) and he…
If you follow social justice-minded national baseball writers on social media, you might occasionally run across the opinion that MLB's international free agent signing process is "gross" and takes advantage of youth. However, it seems that most of the research about the history of baseball in Latin America and its current impact there is being…
Opening Day is upon us, so it's time to begin tracking MLB and MiLB PED suspensions once again. This initial rundown will take us up towards the end of Spring Training. Please note I only track suspensions for PEDs and stimulants, not so-called "drugs of abuse." Information is courtesy of milb.com and spotrac.com. MiLB Suspensions…
Continue reading ➞ 2019 PED Suspension Rundown: Spring Training Edition
One of the most interesting developments in Major League Baseball last season was the debut of Shohei Ohtani, a Japanese two-way star who signed with the Los Angeles Angels. Ohtani brought the heat and the power, becoming the first MLB player since baseball legend Babe Ruth to pitch 50 innings and hit 15 home runs…
Continue reading ➞ Will We See More Two-Way Players in 2019?
Now that we're well into January, I have updated my prior posts from March, May and July 2018 with the final information through the end of 2018. The Eric Skoglund suspension will be reflected in my 2019 tracking. I expect to make my first post about 2019 suspensions after Spring Training. I am also thinking…
In a prior post, I discussed the hypocrisy of claims by members of the Chicago Cubs organization that players' character matters in relation to the domestic abuse allegations against Cubs INF Addison Russell. In light of recent developments about MLB's political activity and support of racist US Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, I am writing a follow-up…
It seems like one of the favorite things for old fogeys to complain about these days in relation to Major League Baseball is the so-called sabermetrics revolution. Teams are increasingly reliant on analysis of advanced stats to make personnel and game decisions. It shouldn't come as a surprise that executives and coaches of baseball franchises,…
Continue reading ➞ MLB Advanced Stats that Senior Citizens – and John Smoltz – Can Appreciate
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFGC_YgeQ5w It's that time again - World Series time! This year's matchup features the Boston Red Sox, representing the American League, against the Los Angeles Dodgers, representing the National League. This will be the second straight appearance for the Dodgers, who hope to finally have a title to show for their massive payroll expenditures. Schedule:…