Oct 17, 2021; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) has his glove and hat inspected between innings against the Atlanta Braves during the fourth inning in game two of the 2021 NLCS at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
MLB introduced its new PitchCom system for use this season, generally to prevent sign stealing between catchers and pitchers during games. The technology has generally been popular, but New York Mets ace Max Scherzer is not a fan.
Scherzer used PitchCom for the first time during Wednesday’s outing against the New York Yankees. The veteran said the technology worked fine and was helpful, but that he felt it “should be illegal” anyway.
“It works. Does it help? Yes. But I also think it should be illegal,” Scherzer said, via Justin Tasch of the New York Post. “I don’t think it should be in the game.
“For me, I’ve always taken pride in having a complex system of signs and having that advantage over other pitchers,” Scherzer continued. “The fact that we’re taking this out of the game and we’re just putting in technology, now everybody — you can’t steal signs on second, the pitcher can’t have an advantage of having a complex system. It’s part of baseball trying to crack someone’s signs. Does it have its desired intent that it cleans up the game a little bit? Yes, but I also feel like it takes away part of the game.”
Essentially, Scherzer said he is very good at mixing up his signs, so having PitchCom somewhat negates the advantage that gives him. That’s fair, but after the Houston Astros scandal, some level of precaution had to be taken at league level.
PitchCom has not been without its issues, but it seems like a net positive. Scherzer will simply have to adapt, and it seems as though he is doing just that.
Mar 12, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner in attendance of the Phoenix Suns game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The United States confirmed Wednesday that it has offered a deal to Russia in an effort to bring Brittney Griner back to the country.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed Wednesday that the Biden administration had made a “substantial proposal” several weeks ago to facilitate the release of Griner and another American, Paul Whelan, who is also detained in Russia, via ESPN. Reportedly, the U.S. offered to trade convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout to secure Griner’s release.
There was no indication that the Russian government had responded to the offer. Blinken added that he plans to speak with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about Griner as well.
The government has been publicly cautious in dealing with Griner’s case during her ongoing trial in Russia. There was one suggestion in May that it was moving toward a potential outcome like this, but it is the first we have heard about an active prisoner exchange effort.
Griner was taken into custody on Feb. 17 after authorities allegedly found vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage. She is said to be facing up to 10 years in prison.
Mar 14, 2022; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman talks with media during spring training workouts at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Yankees are shaping up to be one of the most active teams ahead of the MLB trade deadline. That may include moving some players out as well as bringing them in.
One Yankee who could be on the move is outfielder Joey Gallo, who has struggled in 2022. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Yankees have been actively shopping Gallo ahead of the Aug. 2 deadline. The San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers are both interested, according to Heyman, but are currently prioritizing trade talks for Washington’s Juan Soto instead.
The Yankees acquired Gallo ahead of last year’s trade deadline, and his left-handed power bat was supposed to be a good fit for Yankee Stadium. It simply has not worked out that way, as the former All-Star simply has not adapted to New York. The 28-year-old is hitting just .161 on the season with 12 home runs.
A Gallo trade may have grown even more likely on Wednesday, as the Yankees acquired another outfielder who will probably take a lot of Gallo’s playing time. Gallo’s value is diminished, though, so the organization may not get quite what they want for him in a deal.
July 30, 2019; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (27) following the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
The bad news about Mike Trout was revealed on Wednesday: he’s dealing with a rare back condition that he will need to manage for the rest of his career. The good news is Trout says the condition isn’t anywhere near as serious as it was made out to be.
Now that we have that out of the way and know that Trout says the situation is overblown, we can have a few laughs. Namely, everyone was making the same joke about how Trout ended up hurt.
You can probably guess where this one was going.
Trout has been with the Angels since being called up in 2011 at age 19. His first full season with the team came in 2012. The Angels had winning seasons in three of Trout’s first four full seasons, making the playoffs in 2014. But it’s been all downhill since then.
The Angels haven’t had a winning record since 2015 even though Trout has been putting up Hall of Fame numbers. Maybe metaphorically carrying that team is what hurt his back.
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One of the hurdles in a potential Andrew Benintendi trade had to do with the outfielder’s COVID-19 vaccination status.
Benintendi was among the 10 Kansas City Royals players who did not make the trip to Toronto two weeks ago. That development alerted the public to the likelihood that Benintendi had not received the COVID-19 vaccine, which is a requirement to enter Canada.
Benintendi’s COVID vaccination status was a topic of discussion because it affected trade talks surrounding him. Would teams trade for him knowing he might miss a potential playoff series in Toronto? We may have our answer.
Several reporters indicated that if Benintendi isn’t vaccinated against COVID-19 now, he would become vaccinated later if necessary.
https://twitter.com/MarlyRiveraESPN/status/1552503161486704643
While that might be nice for the Yankees, it’s yet another slap in the face for the Royals. Benintendi would be the second Royals player to apparently feel playing for the Royals wasn’t worth getting the vaccine, but playing for a playoff team is.
Nov 30, 2019; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day before the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Ohio State head football coach Ryan Day was on the golf course when news broke of USC and UCLA joining the Big Ten, and he had a unique story behind learning about the move.
Day appeared on “THE Podcast: Ohio State Football News” on Wednesday during this week’s Big Ten media days. He revealed that he learned of the two schools’ decision while playing at UCLA head coach Chip Kelly’s golf tournament in New Hampshire.
“We were making the turn right around where we were staying,” Day said. “My wife and Chip’s wife came running out and said that we were in the same conference now.
“We started off the round and we’re in two different conferences,” Day said. “We end the round and we’re in the same one.”
Day also said that he and Kelly, who was playing a group ahead of Day, had no idea that the USC-UCLA move was coming.
The two coaches have a relationship that has spanned over two decades. Day was the quarterback at New Hampshire during Kelly’s first season as an offensive coordinator at the school in 1999. Both Day and Kelly coached their programs to solid records in 2021. UCLA finished with an 8-4 record, while Ohio State went 11-2 and won the Rose Bowl.
USC and UCLA will not be headed to the Big Ten until 2024, meaning Day’s focus will presumably be on this season and a tough opening game against Oregon.
Arch Manning has quite a ways to go to reach the level of football success that his uncles Peyton and Eli Manning achieved. The same can apparently be said for the rising high school senior’s juggling skills.
On Tuesday, Eli Manning tweeted a video showing himself and Arch Manning juggling three apples apiece in what looked to be a convenience store. Eli and Arch were in a dead heat at the start, but Arch began losing his balance and ultimately dropped at least one of his apples off-camera.
“Rookie!!” Eli wrote.
Arch Manning, the top player in the 2023 class, announced last month that he was committing to Texas. His commitment has helped the Longhorns land numerous prospects to bolster their recruiting class.
Luckily for Arch, he may not be thrown into the fire during his rookie collegiate season. Quinn Ewers, a highly-touted redshirt freshman who transferred to Texas from Ohio State, seems likely to start for the Longhorns in 2022 and 2023. One former Texas quarterback said that redshirting his first year at the school helped him to understand what it took to be a success at the position.
Redshirting in 2023 will give Arch some more time to adjust to the college game, and perhaps some additional time to sharpen his juggling skills.
H/T TMZ Sports
Aug 9, 2019; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas (13) on the bench in the second half against the Minnesota Vikings at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
It seems like forever ago that Michael Thomas was making an impact on the football field. But the wide receiver may be close to finally getting back to his old self.
The New Orleans Saints on Wednesday activated Thomas off the PUP list. In response to the news, Thomas tweeted a message to the doubters.
“Y’all favorite fantasy doctor lied,” he wrote.
The message seems to be directed at those who questioned whether Thomas would make it back onto the field this year.
Thomas last played in 2020. He missed half of that season due to an ankle sprain. Then he missed all of last season after undergoing ankle surgery. Thomas only had 40 catches for 438 yards and no touchdowns in 7 games in 2020 too, so he was headed for his worst statistical season.
This season, the Saints will have a few key skill players coming back from injuries. Thomas is coming back from his ankle issues, while quarterback Jameis Winston is returning from a torn ACL. Thomas seems intent on proving his doubters wrong.
Jun 9, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals left fielder Andrew Benintendi (16) hits a double against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Andrew Benintendi is back in the AL East, though this time with a new team.
The New York Yankees on Wednesday acquired Benintendi in a trade with the Kansas City Royals. According to Ken Rosenthal, the Royals are getting three pitchers as part of the deal: Chandler Champlain, Beck Way and TJ Sikkema.
Champlain, 23, was a 9th-round pick in last year’s draft out of USC. He is in Single-A. Way was a 4th-round pick in 2020 out of junior college. He has a 3.85 ERA in 33 career minor league starts. Sikkema was a first-round pick in 2019 and has some strong numbers in High-A ball this season. He has 54 strikeouts in 36.1 innings and a 2.48 ERA.
The trade is unsurprising considering the AL East leaders had been linked to Benintendi in rumors over the last few weeks. There was one potential hiccup in a Benintendi trade, and that has to do with potential issues playing in Toronto. That may no longer be an issue.
The 28-year-old outfielder is having his best season ever by batting average. He is batting .321 but only has a .399 slugging percentage and three home runs. The Yankees are hoping that his bat remains hot through the rest of the season. He also will provide solid defense in the outfield, and he has plenty of experience in the AL East after spending five seasons in Boston.
The acquisition comes the same week the Yankees placed outfielder Giancarlo Stanton on the injured list.
LIV Golf has added yet another major champion to its roster ahead of this week’s LIV Golf Invitational Series event at Trump Bedminster.
Golf Digest reported via Twitter on Wednesday that Bubba Watson has signed with the Saudi-backed league.
According to SI.com’s Bob Harig, Watson’s addition will be officially announced this weekend.
LIV is expected to implement a 14-tournament expansion for 2023 with 12 four-player teams. Harig said that the 43-year-old Watson will be one of the team captains.
Watson, who has not played in any tournaments since May following a torn meniscus, won the Masters in both 2012 and 2014. He joins an impressive list of past Masters champions to leave the PGA Tour for LIV, including Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed and Charl Schwartzel. One recent major champion could be the next player to join the league.
The money and perks that LIV can offer have been making it hard for players to say no, regardless of the backlash some have received for going back on their original support for the Tour. One of those perks includes a fancy method of transportation that LIV provides to its players.
Watson turned pro in 2002. He has 12 wins and 74 top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour.
