Paul, baseball fan

She was going with the money she would be prepared to commit at an event like that, but I guess I also know I wouldn't be at that event unless someone else is buying. We're not in that tax bracket!

My favorite @ewpod.bsky.social episodes are the ones that cover (seriously) the non-playing side of baseball—"why things are the way they are" complements "how would baseball be different?" well. Especially CBA/money stuff. Business/finance Meg is an insightful listen every time.

I'll drop everything just for you. to: trom:

My wife said "I'd pay $75 for it" and I pointed out she'd wind up leaving $30 of it stuck to the bottom of the plate or basket.

Gimli absolutely cannot be an outfielder because he can't cover the gaps on his own

I stand by it. Give me a fancier version of a stadium burger with some special fixings, but not a monstrosity of that size and mess.

Wait what did I say

A Facebook message from Coastal Elite on the passing of Terrance Gore. “A loss like this hits deep. In a small baseball community, this game is more than wins & losses… it’s people, families & the ones who BUILT it before us. We honor a fellow baseball founder whose passion & dedication helped shape this community & have so many kids a place to belong. Terrance Gore - Your legacy will live on. Please keep the Gore family & the whole Hurricanes baseball family in your thoughts.

Awful news this morning. Terrance Gore, one of the fastest men in baseball in the last 20 years, died last night, evidently from unexpected complications during a routine surgery. He was 34 years old.

@megrowler.fangraphs.com @benlindbergh.bsky.social

C Gimli
1B Boromir
2B Frodo
3B Aragorn
SS Samwise
LF Pippin
CF Legolas
RF Merry
DH/P Gandalf

Frodo and Sam depend on each other and Frodo has enough going on, and Pippin is more dependable than Merry. Aragorn is who you want at third.

@benlindbergh.bsky.social I think the reason Jones dove less than other CF is that he played much shallower than most. Most of his best diving catches were in front which many CF did not attempt. His first step was left or right, and going back on deeper balls, he leapt or reached up.

@megrowler.fangraphs.com CJ Nitkowski tweeted this, and it gets me thinking: With the "jock tax" being very real (and assuming signing bonuses really escape it), how would baseball be different if huge signing bonuses replaced the long-term mega-deals?

@benlindbergh.bsky.social Switch hitters hit from the right side roughly only 30-35% of the time. If Buck Bokai hit 20 HR from the right side and that was only one third of his plate appearances, and he was good enough as a lefty to keep switch-hitting...

@benlindbergh.bsky.social The 1-year contract question in episode 2427 made me think of Kenny Lofton. After the Braves trade, he returned to CLE on a 4-year deal.

After that, one year each with six different teams. (2004 was a 2-year deal but he was traded in the offseason.)

Since I started following Hall of Fame voting 20+ years ago, this is the fewest names I've checked on my hypothetical ballot.

There are another dozen Hall of Very Good names on this ballot that I won't be upset about if they're eventually elected, but only these five feel like Hall of Famers to me.

2025 MLB Rule 5 Draft Results The 2025 Rule 5 Draft begins at 2 p.m. ET. Here's a look at the draft order and Baseball America's pick tracker.

Full list of MLB Rule 5 picks here:

www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2025...

🎶It's the most wonderful time of the year🎶

@benlindbergh.bsky.social I know you've talked about Herb Washington on EW before, but have you ever delved into his post-MLB career... uh... career? Apologies if I've missed it but I just went down a rabbit hole and, hey, think he'd answer a cold call?

Doctor, doctor, give me the news

Welp. @benlindbergh.bsky.social you have your extra-inning playoff game. Unfortunately the wrong team won it.

2,431 MLB Reg Season
64 MLB Postseason
488 MiLB
14 AZFL
4 WBC
3,001 total

Freddie Freeman reached 3,000 Professional Hits on Saturday.

cc @bravespaul.bsky.social

I just figure if he's still good enough to fill a roster spot and hit baseballs, he's a guy who could. I figure he'll finish in the 3500-3700 range, but some unexpected longevity with high-quality play could change that.

16.0 K/9 would still require 215+ innings...

If a pitchers sets a new record with 13.82 or more strikeouts per 9 innings…

…he would either need 250 innings or to obliterate the K/9 record to come close to Nolan Ryan's record of 383 strikeouts in a season.

AVG+ on Fangraphs compares a player’s batting average to the league

Judge's .330 is 35 percent above average, exactly the same as Nomar Garciaparra .372 in 2000 (when the average was .270), Rod Carew .350 in 1973 (avg .257), and Babe Ruth .393 in 1923 (avg .284) www.fangraphs.com/leaders/majo...

By my count (all via @baseball-reference.com), Freddie Freeman has 568 hits in the minors, postseason, and All-Star Games, and 2429 regular season MLB hits.

@adarowski.bsky.social, you think he has 1003 in him? If he plays until he's 42...

Do a #@%&ing 008 spinoff with Emily Blunt for god's sake!!

Someone should sign Julio Franco to DH a few games in September.

Womp womp

Heaven, apparently

I mean, he does have a great personality.