Sully Baseball

I have some thoughts on how to tweak the All Star Game. Plus the Orioles did something right, getting quantity for Manny Machado. One of the players Baltimore got has one of the best baseball names I have heard in years: Zach Pop.

I am back podcasting after taking a few weeks to deal with an unpleasantness called "REALITY." I talk about the Cardinals managerial situation, Jose Oquendo's resume, the charging A's and the making of the In Memoriam video.

A proposal floated around baseball that would limit a manager to using four pitchers for a 9 inning game. At first I felt like it was a foolish suggestion. But after some reflection, I think it has some merit.

The Mets need to make trades before their assets get hurt. The Angels need to make a splash to make up for the loss of Ohtani and to not waste yet another brilliant Mike Trout season. They need to talk together and make it work. Recorded at Robinson Stadium at Pasadena City College.

We are in mid June. Despite some of the wildly unpredictable records all around baseball, my preseason pennant picks of the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros still look pretty good.

The Capitals winning the Stanley Cup tonight has removed regional angst for Washington fans, including Nats fans. But the Nationals still have their specific battles to win. Plus the Mets need to make a big move now to kickstart the rebuild process.

My friend Laura, the host of Resting Pitch Face Podcast, wishes that I would not bring up the Nationals post season failures when I talk about them. I have to. It is part of their identity. And the compounding of anguish that the Nationals and their fans feel is real. The narrative can only break with victory. And there is precedent to show that to be true.

Roughly 1/3 of the season is in the books. Some contenders that we are expecting are doing well. Some bad teams we are expecting to stink are doing just that. But the Brewers have the best record in the NL and the biggest lead. Could this be a defining year for the franchise.

The Orioles blew a big chance to kick start a rebuilding process by holding onto Zach Britton for too long. The Dodgers need to learn from that mistake if their season does not turn around soon.

Shockingly, Hanley Ramirez was designated for assignment yesterday. But when you take two steps back, not only does it make sense for the Red Sox but it also reflects on why last year's free agency market unfolded the way it did.

The Diamondbacks got off to an amazing start and then went into a free fall. Now they are mediocre and need to do something to rise above it.

The Pirates considered 2018 to be a rebuilding year. So naturally they are approaching the 1/3 mark of the season in first place. Now they are bringing up one of their top prospects in a year that could be one to remember.

I've been a Red Sox fan my whole life. Even when we moved and there was no internet, I still followed them day in and day out. They are the great sports passion of my life. But when the Red Sox brought back domestic abuser Steven Wright to the team, it put a knot in my stomach.  It became clear to me that I had to stop following the team as long as he was on the squad. Baseball punished Robinson Cano for 1/2 a season for PEDs and Steven Wright 15 days for domestic violence. Something is wrong there and I do not need to support it. I will be watching a LOT of baseball... just not the Red Sox until Wright is gone.

On my birthday, I looked at how different 2018 is shaping up compared to 2017. Last year a handful of NL teams contended while the AL was wide open. This year, it is the National League that looks like a free for all while the American League is top heavy. Plus I gave my thoughts on legalized sports gambling, which weren't many thoughts.

The Yankees are on an unbelievable streak and will probably sweep the Red Sox. But then again, the Red Sox ALSO were on an unbelievable streak earlier this year. Meanwhile the Astros have been steady and on a 99 win pace and will probably be there when all is said and done.

I attended my first baseball game of the year and saw the Nashville Sounds top the Memphis Red Birds. I enjoyed the minor league setting but also witnessed a fight taking place in an unusual setting.

I watched the end of a combined no hitter while sitting in my hotel room in Nashville, Tennessee. While waiting for the game to end, I pondered what would have happened if MLB had expanded into Nashville. I also tip my cap to Albert Pujols and his 3,000th hit.

The window of opportunity might be closing for the injured and bickering Dodgers. With that in mind, should the Dodgers consider dealing Clayton Kershaw? Plus Astros closer Ken Giles had a rough night last night. I feel for him.

Yawkey Way's name has been changed back to Jersey Street. That is a GOOD thing. Meanwhile, I think about an alternate universe where the Braves, not the Red Sox, stayed in Boston and Hank Aaron blossomed alongside Bill Russell in New England.

The Angels got clobbered at home by the Red Sox and dropped two more to San Francisco, derailing their momentum. If they want to make a play for the AL West, they need to play the Astros well, head to head. The Angels and Astros series starts tonight.