MLB's impending RSN disaster, Jacob deGrom is back on schedule, the Yankees are already down a starter, the impending balk-a-thon, NYT's anti-trans bias, Les Wexner, gun nuts, and Raquel Welch
You are aware that NYT is a huge corporate entity owned by a right winger, and over the years has carried more water for Trump other than Fox Newsmax etc., right? This should not be a shock.
I'm guessing at first it was the thought that it was only inflammation and would recover during the off season. The throwing program not working was probably initially chalked up to not enough time had passed yet for recovery, and he held onto that hope too long against increasingly pessimistic evidence.
My A’s shut him down briefly last year because of his shoulder. I think everyone knew it could go kablooey at some point. When Montas struggled with the Yanks, it was reasonably obvious that he was on borrowed time.
I believe I have told this story before, but Mary saw Strasburg in spring 2021 at INOVA Hospital when she was there for a follow up appointment. He was standing on the curb, clearly waiting for a ride – and she said “he really looked like he needed a hug.“ I bet he still does today, no matter how much he’s getting paid.
I have no idea what the logistics are, but I would be much happier as a Nats fan if we could just admit he’s not coming back. It’s the (nonexistent) hope that kills you.
I'm a Mets fan and the Strasburg stuff makes me so sad. Thoracic Outlet Surgery is such a heartbreaker. We watched Matt Harvey deal with this and it was similarly glum. (Made worse by the way the New York media treated his injury recovery as some kind of personal failing.)
Strasburg isn't even the only Nat trying to come back from TOS. There's a piece in WaPo today about Cole Henry, a pitching "prospect" who's also going through the process of trying to pitch again.
Same thing with Phil Hughes with the Twins 5 years ago. Local yakkers didn't understand it, so he got pegged as a malingerer. He was never effective again.
I saw him pitch in the AA championships in 2006 in Trenton, and he was a man among boys, fanning 15 in 8 innings. Really thought he was gonna be special, and at times he was, but like a lot of guys, never quite lived up to the hype. I guess that's true of most Yankees prospects, if only because they tend to get a lot more hype than most.
I hear that Hughes, Carl Pavano, Michael Pineda and Sonny Gray are doing a marketing campaign trying to get ex-Yankee pitchers to come to the Twins. I understand J.A. Happ was not invited. ;-)
The Bulls can't buy a break sometimes. Not just with Ball but way back when with Rose. Oh what could have been. (And it seems like LaMelo is always hurt too. Just what did their dad do to them?)
Maybe (okay, almost certainly), this is unfair, but seeing what a buffoon Lavar Ball is, I decided immediately I’d never want my team to sign any of his kids.
Now in fairness to them, they seem to be almost supernaturally well-adjusted as humans despite being raised by him. But it is not a big leap to think that his maniacal desire to push his kids into basketball could have resulted in lingering physical issues that either weren’t present when they were younger or were pushed through.
I’m crying for the Bulls, I really am……..they got a big enough break getting MJ and winning those titles, so although I feel bad about the player and his injuries, I could give 2 $hits if the bulls ever accomplish anything, ever.
I remember that first night Strasburg went out there, and he nearly lived up to the hype. For him to be done as a relatively young age stings, knowing what we once had.
Over on Earth Prime, we’re all having conversations on how certain it will be that Stras makes it into the HoF. But over on Earth Prime there is no such thing as Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.
This brings me back to the heyday of Usenet sports groups, when the canonical Flyers rumor on alt.fan.hockey.nhl.phila-flyers was attributed to "my buddy's girlfriend's hairdresser's cousin". And closer to baseball, it's pure David Wright flashbacks, when he worked his butt off to come back for a meaningless few games, mostly so he could get one last standing ovation; that approach isn't really feasible for a pitcher, so, unless Strasburg wants to put in an inning or two at first (or as a DH), yeah, not going to happen.
Most likely. But we can always think of pitchers from the far past. Like Dazzy Vance whose dead arm was fixed when he slammed his arm on a table during a poker game. Or like Satchel Paige who had a dead arm in the middle of his career, went down to the Negro minor leagues, played some first base, then had some mystical "witch doctor" rub a balm on it leading to another 15 years of top notch pitching.
Hey, if it worked for Dazzy Vance 90 years ago ... :)
The balm applied to Paige's arm was part saltpeter, which is used to make gunpowder, and part snake oil. ACTUAL snake oil, not the metaphorical stuff sold by charlatans to naïve seekers of good health, although it may also have been part rattlesnake venom. Those ingredients point to there being much more science than witchcraft in Paige's recovery from Dead Arm Syndrome: potassium nitrate, which is what saltpeter is, is a known anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and reducer of sensitivity to pain, cold, and heat, while snake oil, which got its bad reputation from racist imputations of sorcery to the Chinese railroad workers who used it to stay physically capable of doing the hard manual labor required to lay tracks for the transcontinental railroad during the 1860s, also has potent anti-inflammatory properties. The stuff might have stunk, but it worked. https://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-satchel-paige
Yeah it's sad to see Strasburg kind of just fizzle out this way, I always had a soft spot for him as he provided one of my favorite memories of living in the DC area.
My now-wife and I first moved down there in spring 2010 , and she has some family in Northern VA whom we would often get together with. We were at their place for a cookout in either May or early June when I randomly saw the announcement of when Strasburg's debut would be. It was against the Pirates too, my favorite team. So I was like, hey we should all go to Strasburg's debut! This was a chance to witness history - this guy was being hyped up like no other pitcher I could remember. Everyone agreed and got excited, and we bought the tickets right in that moment.
And so we saw Strasburg's debut in person a few days later, sitting out in the left-center seats at Nats Park, and I had never been to a baseball game as electric as that game was (until the Nats' infamous game 5 collapse against the Cards a few years later). I didn't even care that he thoroughly dominated the Pirates, they sucked anyway, it was just so cool to see something like that.
Balk a Day Bob Davidson 2: Revenge of the Lawyerly Interpretation.
...
Balks and news of shoulder surgery? Have we returned to 1980s and rotator cuff injuries?
...
Clevinger: yep, the exclusive right to discipline (with exceptions not relevant here) under the Joint Agreement lies with the Commissioner and not the team. And I would note that the more heinous the allegations, the more I want the discipline to follow concepts of due process. Trial by press reports is not the way to go.
They can’t DFA him *because* of the DV allegation. And any claim that they are doing it because of his pitching would be laughable. That DFA would be considered disciplinary and is expressly addressed in the Joint Agreement.
Nope. The Agreement gives the team leeway to act AFTER the Commissioner (and any appeal). Not before. You are trying to impose a different process than MLB and MLBPA negotiators agreed to.
Like I said at the beginning, the more heinous the allegation, the more I think it important to afford the accused of the full measure of due process before imposing discipline. The lust for vengeance against purported transgressors leads to a miscarriage of justice far too often, whether the lynching of accused rapists, killing George Floyd for having the audacity to pass a bad check, or the termination of a professor for showing an artistic rendering of Muhammed. Justice is only just when we allow the presentation of a defense and the requirement that the party with power bears the burden of persuasion. This doesn't change because Clevinger was accused of DV. And it applies equally in the CBA world as it does in the criminal justice one, albeit with differing rules and differing quanta of evidence required.
We often have discussion here of the importance of organized labor outside the context of baseball itself. We've had news of, for example, Starbucks and Amazon workers organizing. It isn't just pay they are campaigning for; it is the full panoply of industrial rights from workplace conditions to due process discipline. That doesn't change because Clevinger or Bauer or Ozuna or Osuna or Chapman or Tom, Dick and Harry are accused of acting violently towards women.
That’s what’s so White Sox about this…that even if Clevinger was a choirboy off the field, you could argue that $12M for him is a bad signing.
Also, even if these abuse allegations did not exist, he’s such a known piece of shit around baseball that he’s made himself unwelcome in multiple clubhouses. Imagine how extra shitty you have to be to turn your teammates against you everywhere you go. So even if the White Sox are telling the truth that they had no idea about the DV allegations (and I’m quite sure they’re not), it still made no sense to sign him.
I have heard it said that most bad actors don't do just one bad action, and that you can see it coming when it goes from bad to worse. So when a Clevinger or Bauer gets signed, it's either willful ignorance or just not caring even when the worst hasn't been revealed.
Manfred’s ‘we will terminate the contract’ re RSNs is overly simplistic. Those contracts are assets of the bankruptcy estate. Perhaps some of the most valuable assets. The BK judge, not the team or league, will have the power to terminate or possibly reform the language.
Assuming it is a restructuring (Chapter 11) yeah, they would be showing games. And that assumption is about as likely as the Sun rising tomorrow morning.
The restructuring might end up good for both parties. The dollar amounts obviously need a reset as they were based on flawed assumptions in a different media landscape (even though it was recent), so baseball gets a haircut. The networks will have to give up some control (advertising sales) to stay in a business they've built a lot of infrastructure for, so they get a haircut. Whoever holds Sinclair's bonds is going to get a mohawk.
Two things: 1. A bankruptcy court has power, in some circumstances, to modify the terms which could make this profitable to Bally (a "cram down" is one such type of modification of some types of contracts), and 2. a contract that can't be profitably completed by one party may be profitable to another with a different cost structure.
On the one hand Arts & Leisure & the Book Review, on the other hand the lady's emails, trans coverage from homophobes (it's really a broadening of the white guy in the Iowa diner has ideas *journalism* going viral) the rest of their noted failings (hey, he's a fascist but he's a senator with an op-ed, let's run it!). We love the Sunday arrival of the paper but also about 10 sections go straight to the recycle bin.
I keep pondering what to do about my digital subscription. Fact is that I still find the Times useful as a source of news on some matters, and it covers areas that the free sites don't, and I visit the site enough that I would quickly exceed the free article limit. But it's hardly my go to source for news now, and I am a lot closer to pulling the plug now than I ever have been.
As an editor and writer for SABR, I need access to the "Times Machine" archives for fact-checking. If you're ever bored, pull up some early 20th century (or late 19th) baseball writing. "Cranks" [fans] and "bingles" [hits] and colorful language ("you'd have thought he was Santa Claus the way he gave away free passes") will transport you to another era.
I love the Times Machine. In my old job, I used to use it for research in museum and arts coverage from the 60s and 70s, and it was fun just to look at the whole paper.
One fun thing I discovered: back in the early days of baseball, the home team was listed first in the linescore, like the British do for football matches. Anyone here know when that changed and why? [That's a question, not a riddle]
I don't know the answer to that question, but I do know that until the 1940's (!) the home team could choose whether to bat first or last. Now, the last time the home team actually chose to bat first was (IIRC) in the 1920's and it only happened once in that decade.
It occurs to me that the two things could be related.
My parents both worked for the Times; in fact, they met in what was then the Times city room. So I grew up with the Times, and even worked there one summer when I was in HS. And I had a (small) National Merit Scholarship earmarked for children of Times employees. So I am incredibly conflicted about this. They cover things, especially international news, that I wouldn't easily get elsewhere, but, their failure to recognize that sometimes there just *aren't* two sides, coupled with their unwillingness to call bullshit where bullshit needs to be called, make it difficult to keep supporting them with my dollars.
Right now, honestly, it's the Cooking and Games that keep me paying (and I could pay for those separately, I suppose).
Some would say that even paying for those enables them. Same for The Athletic. (Ironically, and despite that decree from the Times to "stay in your lane," The Athletic has not become a bastion of bothsiderism, and just launched a new podcast about the NFL's racism, something I am not entirely sure the Times itself would do now.)
I think that supporting the NYT is supporting the NYT is supporting transphobia. I don’t believe there is a lot of nuance to the conversation. (And I usually love a good scoop of nuance.) But this is a very clear, just like with JKR, argument about what I will and won’t support. I stand with my trans* siblings. An attack on them is an attack on ANY and ALL queer people.
The list is LONG and I have it. Off top of my head it includes the Clinton email coverage, the little-at-a-time then all-at-once murder of the sports section (and travel), staff AND guest op-eds from fascists, Maggie's (and others') soft-shoe coverage of tRump, slanted polling in the run-up to 2020 election, both-sidesing Jan 6, diner interviews, trans articles, economic coverage contradictions, black lives matter protests coverage ... on and on. And ALWAYS under the cover Michael Powell hid behind in his trans coverage tweet yesterday, which is to say, "we are *right* b/c we are asking the tOuGh QuEstIons."
Just checked and we can sub separately to the Book Review (though even that section has its issues, like some weird choices on which writers are assigned reviews, including many apparent conflicts of interest).
I studied and worked in journalism for a decade prior to 20 years FDNY and this IS def NOT my father's NYT nor the one that inspired my journalism ambitions during its Watergate and Vietnam coverage. That's a long time ago, but on a day-to-day basis I am generally more pissed off by the NYT than ... I mean I can't recall the last time I read something and said "THIS is great," and recommended it to someone else. Which does happen with several websites and the New Yorker.
The problem is that pretty much every site behind a paywall eventually runs that one story that makes me glad I am not paying for it. (This week, it's the fluff piece about Kyrie in New York Mag that feels like it's excusing his antisemitism). But then, all the places not behind a paywall do that, too. Good journalism isn't dead, but it is impeded by bad journalism,
The bigger issue isn't the actual content* as much as it is the acceptance of and reaction to criticism. Anybody can make a mistake, not fully understanding how a piece might be seen by a different group or holding opinions that are myopic in nature. But it's the willingness (or lack of, or obstinance against) to listen and make needed changes that makes the difference.
(*Only to a point, if it needs to be clearly stated.)
I do wonder, though, which outlets actually listen to criticism. A certain community that I belong to has criticized the Times, NPR, CNN, and pretty much every outlet but Fox and the NY Post about its coverage of a certain country for decades. There is no evidence anyone has ever responded to that criticism. Now, I don't think that that criticism is necessarily warranted, but I have never seen one attempt from anyone to explain why the coverage is the way it is. (Pretty sure, though, that another community has leveled the same exact criticisms in the other direction. Maybe that makes the outlets feel like they must be doing something right.)
It's a fine line between "both sides are mad at me, so that means I'm doing something right!" and "both sides are mad at you because you're being such a dumbass that nobody wants to claim you for their team!"
the beat goes on, but I may have reached my breaking point. it's all down to personal choice. I've mentioned here how many companies I don't patronize due to human rights issues (politics no longer) ...
I am amazed at the restraint managed by the Mets' brass in not keeping him. I would have loved him being here, but it would have quickly shown a poor return on investment. Good luck to him elsewhere.
Hi all. So I logged out of the conversation yesterday unaware that there were a fair number of replies to my posts, and only got notifications late in the day. So I apologize for not responding and continuing the conversation.
Still frustrated by Clevinger and Lee's presence at spring training. In Lee's case, it's not like he was likely to make the team.
My only guess as to why the collapse of the RSNs isn't bigger news yet is that the chaos at Disney, Netflix, and WBD is bigger news. It's all connected, the endlessly shifting landscape of cord cutters and overextended streaming services and media outlets all slitting each other's throats, all worried than in 20 years Gen Z and Gen Alpha will only be watching TikTok and Twitch. (I work in public media, and hear stuff about this all the time, even though we are off to one side.) The doom of the Bally networks will make the front page, but first comes bigger companies, ones that not long ago were raking it in.
My strongest memory of Raquel Welch is her and Miss Piggy on The Muppet Show (a performance that was filmed for 60 Minutes, so we got to see it from two different angles). RIP
Claiming that we don't "know" trans healthcare is safe because there haven't been RCTs run on it is such a specious take. How exactly does one run an RCT on such a thing? Would you sign up to be a subject?
RIP "Lovely Raquel" and the hope she inspired to many, especially to Andy Dufresne while tunneling underneath her.
In less than a week we get live Spring Training games on the teevee! W00t! I'm sad about Strasburg - the promise of when he first came up was so huge - what an event his early starts were - just another guy who long term couldn't hold it together health wise, but glad he at least got a ring and a little success. Nobody can take that away from him.
We are entering into the very rare "hockey only" part of the calendar when the NBA goes on all-star break - a good chance to check out your closest/favorite NHL team or, if that's not your bag, check out some great college hockey. My college is dominating division III so I'm looking forward to the tourney time coming up :)
The Ant Man/Quadrophenia reviews are rolling in and while it doesn't look spec-tac-ularrrr, at least it's not Morbius, so I along with Craig and the other Marvel Marks out there will be rolling in to spend our $$ on large screen shows at the local AMC or Regal or what have you. Happy popcorning.
I am thrilled to see Kang in a movie, but this sounds like they are not using him well. Though he has such a convoluted backstory that it was unlikely they would get it right anyway.
My hockey team is the Islanders, and I think at this point I would rather watch anything but.
At least Strasburg had a nice run before chronic arm injuries shut him down. I’m experiencing flashbacks to Mark Prior rushing back repeatedly with the ‘04-‘06 Cubs (“he’s doing the towel drill!”) only to encounter another setback.
Add in similar setbacks with Kerry Wood that led to him converting to high-leverage relief and that team was a three-year drag on fans’ emotions.
“He at least got a ring and a little success” and a quarter of a billion $$$$. I’m sure he wishes he was pitching to earn that money but how did ever get such a contract with his injury history?
The New Albany press release was missing one last sentence taken to it's logical conclusion; "Once the gunman, whom we are observing, shoots one or more children, be assured we will act".
Boy, lots of stuff to comment on today...but I'll stick to RSN. What if the financial underpinnings of MLB, based on regional TV revenue, is in fact a house of cards? There is no doubt that live sporting events draw the biggest ad revenue for many reasons. But, at the same time, we all are witness to dwindling TV ratings for MLB. What if team revenues and always ballooning player salaries are buoyed by a financial foundation that really isn't there - what if this is a major correction and revenues are going to crash across the board? Anyone more of an expert on this than I am?
I have been wanting to pay for MLB.tv for YEARS but with the blackout rules in place it would be silly as I root for my hometown team. It would be a boon if MLB controlled all broadcasts and flipped the bird to the RSNs over time.
But: If MLB decided that it would control all broadcasts, (1) there would be less money for the teams in selling their broadcast rights, (2) the RSNs which are doing well would hire lawyers to scream bloody murder, and (3) local broadcasting teams would likely evaporate as the new corporate overlords make hasty, cheap, and fan unfriendly decisions. It's a catch-22 which I don't expect to see resolved in my lifetime. As long as my parents still subscribe to cable I can use their password.
wonder what the police response would have been if the dude was black?
You are aware that NYT is a huge corporate entity owned by a right winger, and over the years has carried more water for Trump other than Fox Newsmax etc., right? This should not be a shock.
I'm guessing Montas injury wasn't caught till now bc he understands the significance of walk years and convinced himself he could play through it.
I'm guessing at first it was the thought that it was only inflammation and would recover during the off season. The throwing program not working was probably initially chalked up to not enough time had passed yet for recovery, and he held onto that hope too long against increasingly pessimistic evidence.
If it's his walk year, there's little incentive for the team to shut him down for his final season with them until there's no other choice.
My A’s shut him down briefly last year because of his shoulder. I think everyone knew it could go kablooey at some point. When Montas struggled with the Yanks, it was reasonably obvious that he was on borrowed time.
Leaves wondering again, "what was Cashman thinking?" Meanwhile, Jordan Montgomery is healthy (even if his upside is not as good as Montas' was).
I believe I have told this story before, but Mary saw Strasburg in spring 2021 at INOVA Hospital when she was there for a follow up appointment. He was standing on the curb, clearly waiting for a ride – and she said “he really looked like he needed a hug.“ I bet he still does today, no matter how much he’s getting paid.
I have no idea what the logistics are, but I would be much happier as a Nats fan if we could just admit he’s not coming back. It’s the (nonexistent) hope that kills you.
Eat at Arby’s. (Now I need a hug.)
You have an Albert Belle situation: he has to show up to camp, try to perform, fail and be shut down. Polite fiction necessary to trigger insurance.
I'm a Mets fan and the Strasburg stuff makes me so sad. Thoracic Outlet Surgery is such a heartbreaker. We watched Matt Harvey deal with this and it was similarly glum. (Made worse by the way the New York media treated his injury recovery as some kind of personal failing.)
The media really had it in for him, didn't it? I hope he surprises everyone in the WBC.
"You either die a hero or live long enough to be the villain." And the media did both with him, at the same time.
Strasburg isn't even the only Nat trying to come back from TOS. There's a piece in WaPo today about Cole Henry, a pitching "prospect" who's also going through the process of trying to pitch again.
Same thing with Phil Hughes with the Twins 5 years ago. Local yakkers didn't understand it, so he got pegged as a malingerer. He was never effective again.
I saw him pitch in the AA championships in 2006 in Trenton, and he was a man among boys, fanning 15 in 8 innings. Really thought he was gonna be special, and at times he was, but like a lot of guys, never quite lived up to the hype. I guess that's true of most Yankees prospects, if only because they tend to get a lot more hype than most.
I hear that Hughes, Carl Pavano, Michael Pineda and Sonny Gray are doing a marketing campaign trying to get ex-Yankee pitchers to come to the Twins. I understand J.A. Happ was not invited. ;-)
Same goes for Bulls and Lonzo Ball. A first-place team cratered after he went down last year, and 18 months later nobody will admit he’s toast.
Chicago sports talk radio takes on a depressing tone of resignation every time it returns to stoke these embers yet again.
The Bulls can't buy a break sometimes. Not just with Ball but way back when with Rose. Oh what could have been. (And it seems like LaMelo is always hurt too. Just what did their dad do to them?)
Maybe (okay, almost certainly), this is unfair, but seeing what a buffoon Lavar Ball is, I decided immediately I’d never want my team to sign any of his kids.
Now in fairness to them, they seem to be almost supernaturally well-adjusted as humans despite being raised by him. But it is not a big leap to think that his maniacal desire to push his kids into basketball could have resulted in lingering physical issues that either weren’t present when they were younger or were pushed through.
I’m crying for the Bulls, I really am……..they got a big enough break getting MJ and winning those titles, so although I feel bad about the player and his injuries, I could give 2 $hits if the bulls ever accomplish anything, ever.
Signed, bitter 90’s NYK fan.
I remember that first night Strasburg went out there, and he nearly lived up to the hype. For him to be done as a relatively young age stings, knowing what we once had.
Over on Earth Prime, we’re all having conversations on how certain it will be that Stras makes it into the HoF. But over on Earth Prime there is no such thing as Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.
It's so heartbreaking to see young pitchers bodies fail them like that.
This brings me back to the heyday of Usenet sports groups, when the canonical Flyers rumor on alt.fan.hockey.nhl.phila-flyers was attributed to "my buddy's girlfriend's hairdresser's cousin". And closer to baseball, it's pure David Wright flashbacks, when he worked his butt off to come back for a meaningless few games, mostly so he could get one last standing ovation; that approach isn't really feasible for a pitcher, so, unless Strasburg wants to put in an inning or two at first (or as a DH), yeah, not going to happen.
Most likely. But we can always think of pitchers from the far past. Like Dazzy Vance whose dead arm was fixed when he slammed his arm on a table during a poker game. Or like Satchel Paige who had a dead arm in the middle of his career, went down to the Negro minor leagues, played some first base, then had some mystical "witch doctor" rub a balm on it leading to another 15 years of top notch pitching.
Hey, if it worked for Dazzy Vance 90 years ago ... :)
The balm applied to Paige's arm was part saltpeter, which is used to make gunpowder, and part snake oil. ACTUAL snake oil, not the metaphorical stuff sold by charlatans to naïve seekers of good health, although it may also have been part rattlesnake venom. Those ingredients point to there being much more science than witchcraft in Paige's recovery from Dead Arm Syndrome: potassium nitrate, which is what saltpeter is, is a known anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and reducer of sensitivity to pain, cold, and heat, while snake oil, which got its bad reputation from racist imputations of sorcery to the Chinese railroad workers who used it to stay physically capable of doing the hard manual labor required to lay tracks for the transcontinental railroad during the 1860s, also has potent anti-inflammatory properties. The stuff might have stunk, but it worked. https://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-satchel-paige
Thanks for the added info!
Yeah it's sad to see Strasburg kind of just fizzle out this way, I always had a soft spot for him as he provided one of my favorite memories of living in the DC area.
My now-wife and I first moved down there in spring 2010 , and she has some family in Northern VA whom we would often get together with. We were at their place for a cookout in either May or early June when I randomly saw the announcement of when Strasburg's debut would be. It was against the Pirates too, my favorite team. So I was like, hey we should all go to Strasburg's debut! This was a chance to witness history - this guy was being hyped up like no other pitcher I could remember. Everyone agreed and got excited, and we bought the tickets right in that moment.
And so we saw Strasburg's debut in person a few days later, sitting out in the left-center seats at Nats Park, and I had never been to a baseball game as electric as that game was (until the Nats' infamous game 5 collapse against the Cards a few years later). I didn't even care that he thoroughly dominated the Pirates, they sucked anyway, it was just so cool to see something like that.
Balk a Day Bob Davidson 2: Revenge of the Lawyerly Interpretation.
...
Balks and news of shoulder surgery? Have we returned to 1980s and rotator cuff injuries?
...
Clevinger: yep, the exclusive right to discipline (with exceptions not relevant here) under the Joint Agreement lies with the Commissioner and not the team. And I would note that the more heinous the allegations, the more I want the discipline to follow concepts of due process. Trial by press reports is not the way to go.
They can’t DFA him *because* of the DV allegation. And any claim that they are doing it because of his pitching would be laughable. That DFA would be considered disciplinary and is expressly addressed in the Joint Agreement.
Nope. The Agreement gives the team leeway to act AFTER the Commissioner (and any appeal). Not before. You are trying to impose a different process than MLB and MLBPA negotiators agreed to.
Like I said at the beginning, the more heinous the allegation, the more I think it important to afford the accused of the full measure of due process before imposing discipline. The lust for vengeance against purported transgressors leads to a miscarriage of justice far too often, whether the lynching of accused rapists, killing George Floyd for having the audacity to pass a bad check, or the termination of a professor for showing an artistic rendering of Muhammed. Justice is only just when we allow the presentation of a defense and the requirement that the party with power bears the burden of persuasion. This doesn't change because Clevinger was accused of DV. And it applies equally in the CBA world as it does in the criminal justice one, albeit with differing rules and differing quanta of evidence required.
We often have discussion here of the importance of organized labor outside the context of baseball itself. We've had news of, for example, Starbucks and Amazon workers organizing. It isn't just pay they are campaigning for; it is the full panoply of industrial rights from workplace conditions to due process discipline. That doesn't change because Clevinger or Bauer or Ozuna or Osuna or Chapman or Tom, Dick and Harry are accused of acting violently towards women.
That’s what’s so White Sox about this…that even if Clevinger was a choirboy off the field, you could argue that $12M for him is a bad signing.
Also, even if these abuse allegations did not exist, he’s such a known piece of shit around baseball that he’s made himself unwelcome in multiple clubhouses. Imagine how extra shitty you have to be to turn your teammates against you everywhere you go. So even if the White Sox are telling the truth that they had no idea about the DV allegations (and I’m quite sure they’re not), it still made no sense to sign him.
I have heard it said that most bad actors don't do just one bad action, and that you can see it coming when it goes from bad to worse. So when a Clevinger or Bauer gets signed, it's either willful ignorance or just not caring even when the worst hasn't been revealed.
"At some point you just can’t assume that he’s fine as the baseline. Rather, you wait to be pleasantly surprised if he can actually go."
Sounds like me on most days.
Manfred’s ‘we will terminate the contract’ re RSNs is overly simplistic. Those contracts are assets of the bankruptcy estate. Perhaps some of the most valuable assets. The BK judge, not the team or league, will have the power to terminate or possibly reform the language.
Assuming it is a restructuring (Chapter 11) yeah, they would be showing games. And that assumption is about as likely as the Sun rising tomorrow morning.
I’m also worried about the sun. Scientists think it’s going to die in a few years.
There's weird stuff going on there. There's a polar vortex now that was never seen before.
The restructuring might end up good for both parties. The dollar amounts obviously need a reset as they were based on flawed assumptions in a different media landscape (even though it was recent), so baseball gets a haircut. The networks will have to give up some control (advertising sales) to stay in a business they've built a lot of infrastructure for, so they get a haircut. Whoever holds Sinclair's bonds is going to get a mohawk.
INHO, of course.
The unintended beneficiaries - baseball players - will get hurt even though they had no seat at the table nor involvement in the reason for failure.
But - hooray! - restructuring lawyers will get a few shekels. Always good when my union wins.
How is a contact that can not be profitably fulfilled under its terms be a valuable asset?Seems like it's a liability to me.
Two things: 1. A bankruptcy court has power, in some circumstances, to modify the terms which could make this profitable to Bally (a "cram down" is one such type of modification of some types of contracts), and 2. a contract that can't be profitably completed by one party may be profitable to another with a different cost structure.
NYT sub is a daily debate here.
On the one hand Arts & Leisure & the Book Review, on the other hand the lady's emails, trans coverage from homophobes (it's really a broadening of the white guy in the Iowa diner has ideas *journalism* going viral) the rest of their noted failings (hey, he's a fascist but he's a senator with an op-ed, let's run it!). We love the Sunday arrival of the paper but also about 10 sections go straight to the recycle bin.
It's a quandary.
I keep pondering what to do about my digital subscription. Fact is that I still find the Times useful as a source of news on some matters, and it covers areas that the free sites don't, and I visit the site enough that I would quickly exceed the free article limit. But it's hardly my go to source for news now, and I am a lot closer to pulling the plug now than I ever have been.
As an editor and writer for SABR, I need access to the "Times Machine" archives for fact-checking. If you're ever bored, pull up some early 20th century (or late 19th) baseball writing. "Cranks" [fans] and "bingles" [hits] and colorful language ("you'd have thought he was Santa Claus the way he gave away free passes") will transport you to another era.
I love the Times Machine. In my old job, I used to use it for research in museum and arts coverage from the 60s and 70s, and it was fun just to look at the whole paper.
One fun thing I discovered: back in the early days of baseball, the home team was listed first in the linescore, like the British do for football matches. Anyone here know when that changed and why? [That's a question, not a riddle]
I don't know the answer to that question, but I do know that until the 1940's (!) the home team could choose whether to bat first or last. Now, the last time the home team actually chose to bat first was (IIRC) in the 1920's and it only happened once in that decade.
It occurs to me that the two things could be related.
I never knew! Now I've gotta check that out. Thanks!
My parents both worked for the Times; in fact, they met in what was then the Times city room. So I grew up with the Times, and even worked there one summer when I was in HS. And I had a (small) National Merit Scholarship earmarked for children of Times employees. So I am incredibly conflicted about this. They cover things, especially international news, that I wouldn't easily get elsewhere, but, their failure to recognize that sometimes there just *aren't* two sides, coupled with their unwillingness to call bullshit where bullshit needs to be called, make it difficult to keep supporting them with my dollars.
Right now, honestly, it's the Cooking and Games that keep me paying (and I could pay for those separately, I suppose).
Some would say that even paying for those enables them. Same for The Athletic. (Ironically, and despite that decree from the Times to "stay in your lane," The Athletic has not become a bastion of bothsiderism, and just launched a new podcast about the NFL's racism, something I am not entirely sure the Times itself would do now.)
I think that supporting the NYT is supporting the NYT is supporting transphobia. I don’t believe there is a lot of nuance to the conversation. (And I usually love a good scoop of nuance.) But this is a very clear, just like with JKR, argument about what I will and won’t support. I stand with my trans* siblings. An attack on them is an attack on ANY and ALL queer people.
Don't forget their "But Fry, I don't teach, I'm a PROFESSOR!" logical reasoning on ignoring the evidence about "George" "Santos" during his campaign.
The list is LONG and I have it. Off top of my head it includes the Clinton email coverage, the little-at-a-time then all-at-once murder of the sports section (and travel), staff AND guest op-eds from fascists, Maggie's (and others') soft-shoe coverage of tRump, slanted polling in the run-up to 2020 election, both-sidesing Jan 6, diner interviews, trans articles, economic coverage contradictions, black lives matter protests coverage ... on and on. And ALWAYS under the cover Michael Powell hid behind in his trans coverage tweet yesterday, which is to say, "we are *right* b/c we are asking the tOuGh QuEstIons."
Just checked and we can sub separately to the Book Review (though even that section has its issues, like some weird choices on which writers are assigned reviews, including many apparent conflicts of interest).
I studied and worked in journalism for a decade prior to 20 years FDNY and this IS def NOT my father's NYT nor the one that inspired my journalism ambitions during its Watergate and Vietnam coverage. That's a long time ago, but on a day-to-day basis I am generally more pissed off by the NYT than ... I mean I can't recall the last time I read something and said "THIS is great," and recommended it to someone else. Which does happen with several websites and the New Yorker.
The problem is that pretty much every site behind a paywall eventually runs that one story that makes me glad I am not paying for it. (This week, it's the fluff piece about Kyrie in New York Mag that feels like it's excusing his antisemitism). But then, all the places not behind a paywall do that, too. Good journalism isn't dead, but it is impeded by bad journalism,
RIGHT. and when one pays it becomes "what will the last straw be"? when you are aggravated by articles multiple times.
Sports Illustrated got to me after, as a life-long reader, fan (and collector!), I held on for a LONG time.
I've left other publications for anti-union actions. FWIW NYT has gone years w/o a writers guild contract.
The bigger issue isn't the actual content* as much as it is the acceptance of and reaction to criticism. Anybody can make a mistake, not fully understanding how a piece might be seen by a different group or holding opinions that are myopic in nature. But it's the willingness (or lack of, or obstinance against) to listen and make needed changes that makes the difference.
(*Only to a point, if it needs to be clearly stated.)
I do wonder, though, which outlets actually listen to criticism. A certain community that I belong to has criticized the Times, NPR, CNN, and pretty much every outlet but Fox and the NY Post about its coverage of a certain country for decades. There is no evidence anyone has ever responded to that criticism. Now, I don't think that that criticism is necessarily warranted, but I have never seen one attempt from anyone to explain why the coverage is the way it is. (Pretty sure, though, that another community has leveled the same exact criticisms in the other direction. Maybe that makes the outlets feel like they must be doing something right.)
It's a fine line between "both sides are mad at me, so that means I'm doing something right!" and "both sides are mad at you because you're being such a dumbass that nobody wants to claim you for their team!"
true
Wen ho Lee and WMDs were the 90s/2000s version of “why on earth do we give those people money”
the beat goes on, but I may have reached my breaking point. it's all down to personal choice. I've mentioned here how many companies I don't patronize due to human rights issues (politics no longer) ...
Feeling extremely sad about deGrom and also extremely guilty about how relieved I feel that he's no longer on my team.
Baseball feelings are complicated!
I feel the same way. I even had a bit of schadenfreude, thought more about the Rangers being on the hook than about him having a bad arm day.
I am amazed at the restraint managed by the Mets' brass in not keeping him. I would have loved him being here, but it would have quickly shown a poor return on investment. Good luck to him elsewhere.
Hi all. So I logged out of the conversation yesterday unaware that there were a fair number of replies to my posts, and only got notifications late in the day. So I apologize for not responding and continuing the conversation.
Still frustrated by Clevinger and Lee's presence at spring training. In Lee's case, it's not like he was likely to make the team.
My only guess as to why the collapse of the RSNs isn't bigger news yet is that the chaos at Disney, Netflix, and WBD is bigger news. It's all connected, the endlessly shifting landscape of cord cutters and overextended streaming services and media outlets all slitting each other's throats, all worried than in 20 years Gen Z and Gen Alpha will only be watching TikTok and Twitch. (I work in public media, and hear stuff about this all the time, even though we are off to one side.) The doom of the Bally networks will make the front page, but first comes bigger companies, ones that not long ago were raking it in.
My strongest memory of Raquel Welch is her and Miss Piggy on The Muppet Show (a performance that was filmed for 60 Minutes, so we got to see it from two different angles). RIP
I am very happy to say that is nowhere near my strongest memory of her...most amusing, perhaps.
another thorough take on the NY Times and trans issues: https://open.substack.com/pub/lisaselindavis/p/an-open-letter-to-glaad-about-their?r=7nevg&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
Claiming that we don't "know" trans healthcare is safe because there haven't been RCTs run on it is such a specious take. How exactly does one run an RCT on such a thing? Would you sign up to be a subject?
RIP "Lovely Raquel" and the hope she inspired to many, especially to Andy Dufresne while tunneling underneath her.
In less than a week we get live Spring Training games on the teevee! W00t! I'm sad about Strasburg - the promise of when he first came up was so huge - what an event his early starts were - just another guy who long term couldn't hold it together health wise, but glad he at least got a ring and a little success. Nobody can take that away from him.
We are entering into the very rare "hockey only" part of the calendar when the NBA goes on all-star break - a good chance to check out your closest/favorite NHL team or, if that's not your bag, check out some great college hockey. My college is dominating division III so I'm looking forward to the tourney time coming up :)
The Ant Man/Quadrophenia reviews are rolling in and while it doesn't look spec-tac-ularrrr, at least it's not Morbius, so I along with Craig and the other Marvel Marks out there will be rolling in to spend our $$ on large screen shows at the local AMC or Regal or what have you. Happy popcorning.
I am thrilled to see Kang in a movie, but this sounds like they are not using him well. Though he has such a convoluted backstory that it was unlikely they would get it right anyway.
My hockey team is the Islanders, and I think at this point I would rather watch anything but.
At least Strasburg had a nice run before chronic arm injuries shut him down. I’m experiencing flashbacks to Mark Prior rushing back repeatedly with the ‘04-‘06 Cubs (“he’s doing the towel drill!”) only to encounter another setback.
Add in similar setbacks with Kerry Wood that led to him converting to high-leverage relief and that team was a three-year drag on fans’ emotions.
Strasburg also has a World Series MVP award that no one can ever take from him.
“He at least got a ring and a little success” and a quarter of a billion $$$$. I’m sure he wishes he was pitching to earn that money but how did ever get such a contract with his injury history?
Unfortunately, judging by their statement (https://twitter.com/laurahazardowen/status/1625983931810971649?s=20) and by the fact that they published this garbage the very next day (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/16/opinion/jk-rowling-transphobia.html), I think the Times is only going to double down on their overly credulous brand of transphobia.
Yeah, this article popping up today is REALLY something.
lol the internal memo was even worse: https://twitter.com/maxwelltani/status/1626324277422133253?s=20
So, Craig, I think what you’re really telling Frankie Montas is:
“Relax, don’t do it,
When you wanna pitch through it.
Relax, don’t do it,
When you wanna throw.”
*Slow clap*
*Incredibly excited rapid clap*
The New Albany press release was missing one last sentence taken to it's logical conclusion; "Once the gunman, whom we are observing, shoots one or more children, be assured we will act".
Or run for cover …
Boy, lots of stuff to comment on today...but I'll stick to RSN. What if the financial underpinnings of MLB, based on regional TV revenue, is in fact a house of cards? There is no doubt that live sporting events draw the biggest ad revenue for many reasons. But, at the same time, we all are witness to dwindling TV ratings for MLB. What if team revenues and always ballooning player salaries are buoyed by a financial foundation that really isn't there - what if this is a major correction and revenues are going to crash across the board? Anyone more of an expert on this than I am?
I have been wanting to pay for MLB.tv for YEARS but with the blackout rules in place it would be silly as I root for my hometown team. It would be a boon if MLB controlled all broadcasts and flipped the bird to the RSNs over time.
But: If MLB decided that it would control all broadcasts, (1) there would be less money for the teams in selling their broadcast rights, (2) the RSNs which are doing well would hire lawyers to scream bloody murder, and (3) local broadcasting teams would likely evaporate as the new corporate overlords make hasty, cheap, and fan unfriendly decisions. It's a catch-22 which I don't expect to see resolved in my lifetime. As long as my parents still subscribe to cable I can use their password.