Mark Kreidler

Give Jerry Jones this: He's figured out that in the current climate, blatantly lying about something that everyone can see with their own eyes is strategy, not buffoonery. (I'm only partially sure about that last part.)

Everybody Hates Bill. Life after epic triumph

Harvey Dent in "The Dark Knight:" You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain."
Bill Belichick is making that trip.
(P.S. UNC just backed out of the much-touted Hulu documentary on the program this season.)
markkreidler.substack.com/p/everybody-...

The ABS system *can* address the kind of terrible miss on strike 3 to Bogaerts that wrecked the Padres in the 9th vs. Cubs. But ABS isn't some perfect solution. No matter how critical the call, no matter how late, your team won't be able to appeal if it's already used up its challenges. #nextyear

Baseball's Weirdest! Nobody can hit -- except we're about to see a HR record

Nobody can hit in MLB. It's just too hard.
Oh! Also: We're about to see home run history.
Don't yell at me, I only work here.
markkreidler.substack.com/p/baseballs-...

Innovations In: RSV The prevention of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has seen incredible advancement in the past few years. In this editorially independent package, Scientific American explores breakthroughs in immuni...

Check out the incredible #RSV package from @sciam.bsky.social. Articles from me, @lizszabo.bsky.social @markkreidler.bsky.social, Suzette Brewer & editing frm @emilybazar.bsky.social. All editorially independent reporting. www.scientificamerican.com/report/innov... (we didn't know who sponsors were)

MLB games with huge playoff implications tonight --Rays at Blue Jays, Tigers at Red Sox -- safely locked away behind Apple TV+ paywall. But, hey, thanks so much for your season-long MLB.TV payments! Tough one about the potential Friday clinchers

Exclusive: Growing tech firm Anthropic expands S.F. presence with large office lease in SoMa The move comes after Anthropic, a front runner in the artificial intelligence arms race, raised a staggering $13 billion and tripled its valuation.

So Anthropic paying a $1.5 billion settlement for illegally pirating writers' original works to train Claude is just a speed bump. Maybe buy the books next time
www.sfchronicle.com/realestate/a...

Natural. Robert Redford and sports worked, but not because of sports

Robert Redford made some really good sports movies. (They weren't about sports.) They constitute a small part of the larger body of his work, but they resonate all the same.
markkreidler.substack.com/p/natural

The Pro Game Goes Old-School! College, that is: Under the table

The Kawhi Leonard story is so old school! This is a very 1970s flavor of side-stepping the rules (allegedly). No-show job -- such a throwback.
markkreidler.substack.com/p/the-pro-ga...

Unions Are Shrinking Nationwide—But Not in California Organizing in the Golden State is holding strong, showing what’s possible even as Trump 2.0 makes the fight harder.

Across the country, union representation has been falling for decades. But in California, it remains at 16.3%—five points higher than the national average. It shows that the labor movement remains strong in the state. From @markkreidler.bsky.social‬ for ‪@capitalandmain.bsky.social‬:

Unions Are Shrinking Nationwide — But Not in California Organizing here is holding strong, showing what’s possible even as Trump 2.0 makes the fight harder.

This piece by @markkreidler.bsky.social in @capitalandmain.bsky.social does a great job of putting our State of the Unions report in context. A must read as we enter Labor Day weekend.
capitalandmain.com/unions-are-s...

Roger Clemens (or Serenity) Now! The Prez goes medium tantrum on HOF

Roger Clemens played golf with Donald Trump, after which Trump demanded that Clemens be inducted into the Hall of Fame. *After* which, Clemens posted their foursome's scorecard. (DJT dead last.) That's just plain solid strategy right there.
markkreidler.substack.com/p/roger-clem...

Hi, @pacesinplaces.bsky.social -- We used "work" because it describes what they did, even though those were not salaried jobs. (They received a living allowance, housing stipend, educational award, etc.). It was certainly public service, as we noted. Thank you for asking!

Dolt-posting duly noted, but I think there's still more room for full conversation here. (Maybe the bar's set a tad low.)

How to Win Without Really Winning. Just rewrite history! People do it all the time

Auburn deciding to retroactively claim seven football titles might strike you as a little...stupid. But we're in the post-intelligence era! The truth is what I say it is! Who are you to deny me my truth?
So...yeah. Stupid.
markkreidler.substack.com/p/how-to-win...

You're On Pace to Read One of These Today. Catching up: fun with Cal's numbers!

Cal Raleigh is on pace for 61* homers, the kind of solid, understandable number that we can enjoy extrapolating with a clean conscience. Fun with stats!
(*Not a Maris asterisk, but a rounding down. It's actually 61.26.)
markkreidler.substack.com/p/youre-on-p...

Coming to an App Near You: Everything. ESPN just skinned the NFL

Thirty bucks for an ESPN app that contains everything they own, including (now) the NFL Network.
Thirty bucks to see sports and nothing but, with none of that pesky news or current events to distract you.
Pay up.
markkreidler.substack.com/p/coming-to-...

The Dark Art: Declaring Your Team DOA. Trade deadline special

Here's to the teams in mid-level hell, close enough to that third wild-card to want to stay in, but ultimately deciding they can't. These are the MLB trade deadline surprises -- teams with talent that nevertheless pull the plug.
markkreidler.substack.com/p/the-dark-a...

Jose's Almost Invisible Excellent Adventure. Full name Jose Ramirez. Still don't know?

An MLB player did something really cool Monday night. Like career-defining cool. Rare-air cool.
Don't worry -- you barely know him.
markkreidler.substack.com/p/joses-almo...

We Could Live With a Home Run-Off. Hey, it beats 'ghost runner on 2nd'

With its 'ghost runner on second' rule, MLB announced some time ago that extra innings aren't real baseball -- so why stop there? They just decided the All-Star Game with a HR derby in the 10th. Why not use that method all the time? Are you not entertained?
markkreidler.substack.com/p/we-could-l...

If You're Good, They'll Find You. We've got (arguable) proof

Kid from 504 population town draws No. 1 MLB draft! (Not that simple.)
Small towns unite! (If you've got connections.)
Oklahoma stand up! (It did -- check the comments after the story.)
markkreidler.substack.com/p/if-youre-g...

All Hail This Rant. Lee Elia and the one great thing

RIP Lee Elia. There's so much more to the back-story of his epic rant, and it's remarkable how right he turned out to be (about some of it).
Free read! Maybe don't play the audio at work.
markkreidler.substack.com/p/all-hail-t...

The Bots Are Coming for You. Don't worry -- they only check for strikes

Robot* umps at the All-Star Game!** Danger!***
(* not really robots)
(** just the one game)
(*** only danger is a bad call gets fixed)
markkreidler.substack.com/p/the-bots-a...

Uh-Oh. Players and gambling hit the NBA (again)

Another gambling scandal in the NBA (allegedly). But, hey, FanDuel and DraftKings still feel great about the direction of the league!
markkreidler.substack.com/p/uh-oh-697

A Fear Pandemic Grips Safety Net Hospitals and Their Patients With immigration raids on the rise, many in need of health care are choosing to remain at home.

In the age of ICE deportations, undocumented people are foregoing medical care. @markkreidler.bsky.social reports on the deadly consequences of surprise ICE raids.

https://trib.al/3y2JuR4

Baseball Has a Baseball Problem. It just can't fix it

In the "You'll get nothing and like it!" department, MLB officials confirm that this season's baseballs are relatively deadened and they can't fix it and, you know, listen, hey.
markkreidler.substack.com/p/baseball-h...

Deeper Pockets, Please. Lakers tell the family goodbye

Family ownership of sports franchises is mostly dead -- not exactly breaking news. The Buss family held out quite a while. But competing in pro sports in 2025 takes the kind of cash flow that even truly wealthy families can't usually muster.
markkreidler.substack.com/p/deeper-poc...

One For the Grinders. Happy Father's Day

If you ever drove five hours round-trip for a two-hour game or knew the Subway menu by heart, this one's for you
markkreidler.substack.com/p/one-for-th...

The Dope | Mark Kreidler | Substack Deconstructing the sports world one paragraph at a time, by national award-winning writer Mark Kreidler. Because context is king. Click to read The Dope, by Mark Kreidler, a Substack publication.

Shohei Ohtani is such a great offensive player that it's always shocking to realize his 2025 numbers are being *dominated* right now by somebody across the country. It's a cool thing at a time when MLB offense is at such a premium.
markkreidler.substack.com