More than 30 years ago, all over the walls of a high school about an hour west of downtown San Antonio, the signs started appearing.
In breezeways, next to lockers, and around the cafeteria, the motivational slogans kept popping up, some scrawled in magic marker on poster board, and others printed out on long sheets of dot-matrix paper. They were hung by a D'Hanis baseball coach who wanted to remind students that they could win anything with the "RIGHT MENTAL ATTITUDE," and that "PRESSURE MAKES DIAMONDS," and that "WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET GOING."
A bunch of clichés, maybe, but harmless ones. The coach meant well, and his team wound up winning state.
One of his colleagues, though, was a world-class wiseacre, and couldn't resist the opportunity to poke fun. Bill Lovett coached boys basketball and taught history. And above the chalkboard in his classroom one day, there was a long dot-matrix printout bearing a slogan of his own creation.
"AN ELEPHANT IN DISGUISE IS STILL BIG," it read.

#going #tough #matrix

Dodgers officially make $700M Shohei Ohtani decision with playoff baseball around the corner originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been getting into postseason form, which is a huge reason why they have been winning as of late. LA can struggle as often as it wants during the season, but once October nears, the team finds its stride.
However, as they get closer to the playoffs, they will be without Shohei Ohtani. It was announced Wednesday night that Ohtani would go on the injured list.
"The Dodgers are placing Shohei Ohtani on the injured list. He must go on the 15-day IL as a two-way player. The earliest he can return is Sept. 23. The wild-card round starts Sept. 29. The NLDS would start Oct. 3. Josue De Paula will likely replace Ohtani as the everyday DH," Dodgers reporter Noah Camras wrote.
When manager Dave Roberts last talked about his injury, there was regret that they had let it drag on as long as they did.

#shohei #list #angeles

A serious team requires serious stats by which they'll be evaluated. Over the last calendar year, the Chicago Bears have become a serious team led by a serious head coach in Ben Johnson and a serious quarterback in Caleb Williams. Which means that the world of ****** ytics in football will be more relevant for them in 2026 than we have perhaps seen in years past.
While not as robust (or widely utilized) as their counterparts in the baseball world, advanced stats have progressively become more relevant for the NFL and its players in recent years. Pro Football Focus is sort of a driver of this increase, and it's here that we begin our journey into this world.
PFF, as it's known colloquially, ****** igns a grade for every action that a player completes on the field. These grades occur on a scale from +2 to -2, with zero representing the average in between the two ends of the spectrum. These grades don't just occur in a vacuum, either. Positional context and the game situation itself are each taken into account as part of where a given play lands on the scale.

#stats #grades

Regular readers know that I've followed one of the great Cy Young horse races in recent memory, with Cam Schlittler going great start-for-great start with the Blue Jays' Dylan Cease. We got a little bit of separation this week, as the Athletics touched up Cease for four runs in five innings on Monday, and then Schlittler allowed just a solo shot in seven frames against the Rockies on Tuesday. Cam has crept just ahead by fWAR, enjoys a considerable lead in bWAR, and right now I think would end up at the top of most voters' ballots.
But something struck me in the aftermath of Cam's night against Colorado, the same night that Aaron Judge returned to the lineup. Cam Schlittler isn't just the Cy Young favorite, but he's built himself an MVP case. No pitcher has won the award since Clayton Kershaw for the 2014 Dodgers, and the last AL winner was 2011 Justin Verlander. Yordan Alvarez is in the hunt for the first Triple Crown since Miguel Cabrera, Bobby Witt Jr. is probably the best overall player in the league, and if Junior Caminero tops the AL in home runs and plays on the Junior Circuit's best team, he probably gets his share of votes too.
And yet here's the thing: Cam stacks up fairly against all three of them!
Let's take Yordan, who I think has the inside track on the award right now. Schlittler's 0.1 fWAR back, a difference that is literally negligible, and more than three-quarters of a win better by bWAR. Alvarez's candidacy is based around the Triple Crown, probably being the best hitter in baseball, and dragging what we thought was a finally-deflated Houston Astros team to a division ****** le. ****** py AL West or not, that is exactly the blueprint for an MVP, if one for a slightly older voter.
Should Alvarez not win the Triple Crown, he loses a bit of his case, though he's likely still the best hitter in the game on a division winner, one who will have played in the neighborhood of 155 games. That's the big thing both undercutting Witt's MVP claim while bolstering his position as best all-around player — the Kansas City shortstop has only played 128 games at time of writing, yet leads the league in fWAR and bWAR among position players. With a solid-but-not-spectacular 18 homers and 124 wRC+, the parts of his game beyond hitting are doing the heavy lifting there as well. All that and the fact that the Royals are so bad work against him when it comes to end of season awards though, and Bobby seems cursed to be the Dave Stieb of shortstops.

#schlittler #young #cease

No. 18 Tennessee (1-0) will play at Georgia Tech (0-1) on Saturday.
Kickoff between the Vols and Yellow Jackets is slated for 7 p.m. EDT at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. ESPN will televise the contest.
John Heisman was head coach for the Yellow Jackets and athletics director from 1904-19. He also served as Georgia Tech's basketball head coach from 1908-09 and 1912-14, compiling a 9-14 record. Heisman was Georgia Tech's baseball head coach from 1904-17.
In football he guided the Yellow Jackets to a national championship in 1917. He also won seven SIAA **** les (1900, 1902-03, 1915-18). Heisman won a SIAA baseball championship in 1906. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1954 during its second enshrined class.
Heisman began his coaching career at Oberlin in 1892. He also served as head coach at Buchtel (now the University of Akron) from 1893-94. Heisman was head coach at Auburn (1895-99), Clemson (1900-03), Georgia Tech (1904-19), Pennsylvania (1920-22), Washington and Jefferson (1923) and Rice (1924-27).

#georgia #jackets

Baseball's best team is going to see a lot of the San Francisco Giants during these final days of the regular season. Given that it's a brave new world around here, we'll make sure all of them get a proper introduction.
The Los Angeles Dodgers couldn't possibly know much about Jonah **** , Turner Hill, Shay Whitcomb, Drew Cavanaugh, Trent Harris - there, that covers about half the group. The defending champs are too busy trying to figure out their postseason plans, and it's a lot more complicated than you may think.
The Dodgers without Shohei Ohtani? Unthinkable.
Resting uncomfortably on the injured list, felled by a sore left knee and right arm, Ohtani won't be in uniform for the Giants' three-game series that begins Friday at Dodger Stadium. When the two teams close out the season at Oracle Park on Sept. 25-27, he will have been eligible for only two prior games, against San Diego at home.
Until recently, the Dodgers tried to shake off Ohtani's aches and pains. This is the greatest talent in the history of baseball, a man who looks **** near indestructible at times. He rises above everyone, godlike, as he lodges a three-run homer alongside a pitching masterpiece.

#angeles #jonah

Orioles 7 Jays 4
This one couldn't have gone much worse.
Dylan Beavers homered on the second pitch of the game.
Then, in the bottom of the first, the Jays had two on and one out, and Vladimir Guerrero was picked off first—just bad baseball. With a runner on second, he wasn't going anywhere. It looked like the Orioles put a play on: pitch low and outside to the right-handed-hitting Alejandro Kirk and catch Samuel Basallo throws straight to first. Vlad was out, and it wasn't close.
The second inning was even worse. The Orioles started the inning with four straight singles (2-0). Then a double (4-0). And another single (6-0). After that, Max Scherzer got the next 12 outs without giving up a hit. Barn doors and horse.

#second #straight #inning

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers are heading to the playoffs, and baseball's best team left no doubt.
Garrett Mitchell hit the Brewers' first grand slam of the season, one of four homers for Milwaukee in a 20-0 rout of the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night that secured a playoff berth that had long been inevitable.
Manager Pat Murphy celebrated with a toast to his players and clubhouse staff. Afterward, the locker room was subdued, because these Brewers (92-56) hope to accomplish much more.
This will be Milwaukee's fourth straight trip to the playoffs and eighth in nine seasons.
"It's not something to take lightly because it's really hard to do," Murphy said. "We want to see how far we can go and how complete this can be. Remember that the message to the team is that we checked off one box, but we've got a lot more to go."

#milwaukee #brewers #garrett #cincinnati

What looked like a good night for the Phillies, a night in which they were able to sneak a few runs across the plate against Chris Sale, turned into a bullpen nightmare.
It started off a little rough for the Phillies, Aaron Nola serving up a home run to Matt Olson that somehow clanged off the fair pole in left field to give the Braves a quick 1-0 lead.
Matt Olson gets the scoring started with home run No. 38! pic.twitter.com/lWQLFbumdp
From there though, Nola was really good. He looked to be struggling with his grip all night long, constantly going back to the rosing bag, to the mound, anywhere to get a good hold on the baseball, but something worked and he kept getting outs.
On offense, he got all the help he needed in the second inning. Sale got the first two outs with ease, then let his foot off the gas. He gave up a single to Edmundo Sosa, walked Bryan de la Cruz and hit J.T. Realmuto with a pitch to load the bases for your favorite Hill and mine, Derek. Doing what he seemingly has done all year long, Hill delivered with a bases clearing double that put the Phillies up 3-1.

#Phillies #good #olson

It was a day of remembrance, but a night Nolan McLean might want to forget.
McLean's curveball spins at a higher rate than any other in baseball, but Friday night at Yankee Stadium, Cody Bellinger spun one over the short porch in right field into the stands. The three-run homer sank the Mets in a 6-4 loss to the Yankees.
It was the first time in more than a month McLean failed to go more than five innings, and only the second time in his last 14 outings. McLean was charged with five earned runs on a career-worst 10 hits over five innings in his ninth loss of the season (11-9). An NL Rookie of the Year candidate, McLean has looked like a seasoned veteran at times this season. But even the most dominant rookie starting pitchers have outings like the one McLean had against the Yankees.
Rookies slump, sputter and get knocked down, then figure out how to get up again.
No one knows this better than Bellinger, the 2017 NL Rookie of the Year. While his hitless stretches were few and far between with the Dodgers in 2017, there were bad strikeouts and bad games. Individually, they did little to put a dent in his candidacy. The overall body of work was too impressive. The same goes for McLean, who has carried a sub-3.00 ERA for most of the season and has quietly put up some of the best starting pitching numbers in the National League since June.

#five

As the Yankees' pitchers and hitters began their respective pregame meetings on Friday afternoon, the daily seminars opened with a twist.
Shown to them was what Aaron Boone called an "outstanding," three-minute video on the significance of Sept. 11, 2001. With Friday marking the 25th commemoration of the terrorist attacks that targeted the World Trade Center, Brett Weber, the Yankees' senior director of advance scouting and replay guru, put the clip together.
The intention was to give the Yankees a quiet moment to reflect before hosting the Subway Series and beating the crosstown-rival Mets, 6-4.
"This is a day that will be remembered forever," Weber said, "and at the end of the day, that was really the message."
Boone also made sure to talk to his players, who recently attended the National September 11 Memorial & Museum and a handful of local firehouses, about the importance of the day. Among other things, he wanted to make sure that they knew how vital baseball became in the aftermath of the tragedy, as the game helped the city and the country heal.

#boone #aaron #World #trade

A Dominican Summer League player in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, Belfi Rivera, is at the heart of a deflating story that dropped on ProPublica about young baseball players in the Dominican Republic being preyed on and scammed.
Gus Garcia-Roberts, an investigative reporter who specializes in sports, released the article on Thursday, Sept. 10. Rivera is at the forefront as Garcia-Roberts exposes Santo Caraballo, whom Garcia-Roberts describes as "one of the most notorious moneylenders profiting from Dominican baseball," for receiving $950,000 of Rivera's money despite not having anything to do with Rivera's development.
That $950,000 is part of a $1.8 million deal the Diamondbacks pledged to pay him after he turned 16. Garcia-Roberts also found that these deals are made verbally, so no records can be found if a team decides they do not want to pay the kids.
MLB finds more players in the Dominican Republic than anywhere outside of the United States, so the league sees the country as a hotbed for talent. They work to sell the kids and families on a dream that they can become the next Ketel Marte, Geraldo Perdomo or whichever Dominican star they look up to. Oftentimes, like in Rivera's case, the players and families they talk to come from poor financial backgrounds.
Some takeaways from the story:

#garcia #diamondbacks

Friday marked the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City. And the two Major League Baseball teams who played a role in the city's emotional recovery met at Yankee Stadium to commemorate the occasion, allowing fans to remember and pay tribute to all those affected by what happened 25 years ago.
Both the New York Yankees and New York Mets wore first responder caps paying tribute to the FDNY and NYPD.
Earlier in the day, Yankees manager Aaron Boone was joined by Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole to lay a wreath beside a plaque in Yankee Stadium's Monument Park paying tribute to the victims and heroes of 9/11.
New flower arrangement next to the permanent Monument Garden tribute to the victims & heroes of 9/11 at Yankee Stadium. Yankees will be commemorating the day later this evening before their game w/the Mets. pic.twitter.com/TonJac3XuT
Members of the 2001 team that advanced to the World Series took the field, beginning with manager Joe Torre. He was followed by key team leaders Jorge Posada and Paul O'Neill. Tino Martinez and Scott Brosius, who hit home runs in that World Series then joined their teammates. Finally, Hall of Famers Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera came out to the pitching mound with the other five.

#yankee #yankees #stadium #aaron

What is expected to be a strong Kernersville Middle School baseball team opened its season Tuesday afternoon with a 20-1 rout of Northwest Middle School at the Ivey M. Redmon Sports Complex. The game was called on the 10-run rule after three innings.
At the plate, Colton McClendon led the team with four runs on two hits. He drove in the first two runs with a homer to left field in the first inning.
Carter Martin hit a two-run single, and Austin Newcomb followed with an RBI single. Cooper Forsyth and Aaron Thompson both hit RBI singles in the inning.
Colton was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to drive in a run. A walk to Max Garber with the bases loaded brought in another run, and a single by Kamden Rice drove in another run.
KMS added 10 runs on five hits in the bottom of the second inning. An error scored two runs, Colton singled to drove in a run. Kamden doubled, driving in scoring three runs. Jacob King followed with a two-run double. A double by Jayden Rangel scored two runs and Brantley Lawson was struck by a pitch with the bases loaded to drove in the last run of the inning.

#drove #single #kamden

25-year-old Guardians LHP Parker Messick made his MLB debut last August, and so far the results have been pretty spectacular. Even if they're helped a little by a lucky batting average on **** in play (he's at .264 for the season, the MLB average is .289). That's not a crazy outlier though, I don't think. Messick relies heavily on a 94-ish fastball and slightly slower sinker; that combo has been dynamite for him this season. He'll frequently mix in a change, less frequently some breaking stuff.
75 years ago, Bill Veeck pulled one of his signature wacky baseball stunts. He signed 3'7" Eddie Gaedel to the Browns' roster and had him pinch-hit in a game. Gaedel drew a walk — obviously his strike zone was small — and Veeck replaced him with a pinch-runner. The pinch-runner didn't score
Now, Veeck owned the St. Louis Browns at that time, not the team in Cleveland. (So this is kinda the wrong week for this post. I thought this happened in Cleveland, until I started writing it.)
But Veeck had owned the Indians for four years, selling them in 1950 when he needed money for a divorce settlement. And had done some notable things with the team, like signing the first Negro League player to join the American League, Larry Doby. (When manager Lou Boudreau introduced Doby to the team, three players refused to shake his hand — and Veeck got rid of all three.) In 1949, Veeck signed Satchel Paige, the oldest rookie to ever play in MLB at the age of 41; he'd pitch 155.2 innings over two seasons for the team (and then became a two-time All-Star with the Browns).
Veeck claimed the idea of using a small person as a pinch-hitter was his own notion… however, there'd been a 1941 story in The Saturday Evening Post called "You Could Look it Up" by James Thurber, author of "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty." You can read the Thurber story here, if you like. It has paintings by Norman Rockwell which are very detailed and striking, as usual:

#pinch #cleveland

Apple TV's "Friday Night Baseball" returns Sept. 11, 2026, as the Cincinnati Reds take on the Milwaukee Brewers and the San Diego Padres face the San Francisco Giants. The game is available exclusively on the Apple TV app. Here's broadcast information for tonight's action:
Cincinnati Reds at Milwaukee Brewers, 7 p.m. Eastern
San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants, 9:30 p.m. Eastern
Andrew Abbott (Reds) vs. Shane Drohan (Brewers)
Robbie Ray (Padres) vs. Anthony Molina (Giants)

#reds #brewers #Padres #Giants

Today, of course, is the anniversary of an event that means so much more than baseball. Twenty-five years ago, the September 11th attacks rocked the US, especially in New York. There are commemorations of all sort taking place around the country today. While the tragedy of that day in 2001 means more than baseball, in New York, the two baseball teams will honor the day in their own way: playing baseball. Starting tonight, the Subway Series is back for a weekend set, beginning on the 25th anniversary of 9/11.
To go to the baseball for a minute, Carlos Rodón will get the start for the Yankees in this one. For the season, Rodón's numbers are generally pretty good, but his habit of taking a little too long to put away batters tends to prevent him from going long. While the Yankees didn't have to use too many crucial arms, the bullpen did have to pitch a decent amount of innings yesterday, so they could use a good day from Rodón.
As for the rest of the lineup, Aaron Judge is back after getting last night off, while Anthony Volpe is at second again after his five RBI performance.
For the Mets, Nolan McLean will take the mound. He's been really good for them, posting a 3.06 ERA in 161.2 innings. Across his last dozen starts, the rookie has been even better, with an even lower ERA of 1.87.
Here's everything to know on how to catch tonight's action, and we hope you'll come join us in the game thread.

#back

Rudy Martin Jr. spent 12 seasons in the minor leagues without reaching the majors. At 30 years old, he came closer than ever to walking away from baseball.
The newest member of the Toronto Blue Jays admitted he seriously considered retirement before getting his long-awaited call-up Friday. Martin said his family helped him through that difficult stretch and refused to let him give up.
MORE: Astros announce latest update on Yordan Alvarez's injury ahead of Rays game
"I wondered if it might be over after 12 minor-league seasons," Martin said, according to Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith. "My family helped me through some really tough times. They weren't gonna let me give up on it that easy."
Martin's promotion comes after a difficult month. The Blue Jays designated him for ****** ignment twice, but he continued to wait for another opportunity.

#family

DETROIT — Who knew?
Who knew Tigers rookie Ben Malgeri's superpower was stealing bases? Who knew his sprint speed, as measured in-game by Statcast, is faster than Max Clark's?
True story.
"I didn't know that," Malgeri said, with a smile.
Entering play Friday, Sept. 11, Malgeri was 5-for-5 on steals of second base. And his sprint speed, 29.1 feet per second, ranks in the 91st percentile in baseball.

#malgeri

Jessica Biel shared photos from her and Justin Timberlake's Paris vacation on September 11.
In one snapshot, the couple posed at a table with a scenic view, while enjoying glasses of white wine.
"Paris is for lovers ❤️," she captioned the post.
Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake enjoyed a romantic getaway to Paris.
On September 11, the 44-year-old actress shared photos from their European summer vacation on Instagram. In one snapshot, the couple posed at a table with a scenic view, with glasses of chilled white wine. They matched in sunglasses and baseball caps, while holding up the peace sign.

#justin #photos #vacation

Pete Davidson has spoken about losing his father on September 11 for much of his adult life, sometimes seriously and sometimes through comedy. Becoming a father himself has changed the way he understands what happened.
Davidson was seven when his father, New York City firefighter Scott Matthew Davidson, died while responding to the World Trade Center attacks. "I thought, 'Oh, he was an old guy. He's 33,'" Davidson told the New York Post. "But now I'm there, and I have a kid, and that would be like my kid not having her dad."
Davidson is 32 and turns 33 in November, putting him close to the age his father was when he died. His daughter, Scottie Rose Hewitt Davidson, was born in December 2025 and was named after the grandfather she will never meet.
That combination made the 25th anniversary especially difficult. Davidson said this year felt "way harder" than it had in a long time, but also "extra beautiful" because he would spend September 11 with Scottie. "It'll be very healing and special," he said.
Scott Davidson was 33 when he died and had been an FDNY firefighter since 1994. He worked with Ladder Company 118 in Brooklyn Heights and responded after the second hijacked plane struck the World Trade Center. The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation remembers him as a father who coached Pete in football and baseball, watched daughter Casey's dance recitals and frequently called firefighting "the greatest job in America."

#died #york #scott #World

NEW YORK — On the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the matchup between the Mets and Yankees will take Major League Baseball's center stage.
Expect some powerful moments pregame between New York's two baseball teams square off at 7:10 p.m. on Friday night at Yankee Stadium.
The meaning of Friday's game will go beyond the standings, at least for the Mets. They enter the game at 68-78 and winners of four straight games and looking to play spoiler for their crosstown rivals' division ****** le hopes.
The Yankees enter the Subway Series playing solid baseball, as well. The Yankees (84-62) are coming off a three-game sweep of the Rockies to move within three games of the Rays in the race for the AL East.
The Mets are coming off a three-game sweep of the Marlins after securing the series finale against the Giants last weekend.

#series

When the Los Angeles Dodgers started the 2026 campaign, their hopes of becoming the first MLB team to three-peat since the '90s New York Yankees dynasty seemed pretty good. While their team features All-Stars scattered throughout their roster, a lot of their strength revolved around their two-way superstar, Shohei Ohtani. Now, just weeks away from the postseason, he finds himself on the injured list.
On this episode of the Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman discuss if the back-to-back defending champions fumbled the injury situation with the four-time MVP winner and if Ohtani will be ready for the NLDS. They then get into Los Angeles calling up top prospect Josue De Paula and if his impressive showing in the minors will be able to translate this early in his career to the big leagues.
Later in the show, Jake and Jordan revisit their bold predictions for the 2026 season from March and see how many they've gotten right, which ones are still in play, and which have hopelessly fallen by the wayside. The guys then make their selections for this week's edition of The Good, The Bad and the Uggla before highlighting the importance of baseball on the 25th anniversary of 9/11.
1:15 - The Opener: Shohei Ohtani to the IL
28:43 - Dodgers call up top prospect

#angeles

Astros fans, for all the criticism Joe Espada has received during his tenure as manager, maybe it's time to take a step back, look at what he's actually been asked to work with, and give the man his flowers.
Managing a baseball team is easy to criticize from the outside.
Every pitching change can be second-guessed. Every lineup can be dissected. Every decision involving the bullpen, a pinch hitter or a defensive replacement can become a debate.
Espada certainly hasn't been perfect.
But when you stop evaluating individual decisions and start looking at the bigger picture, it's difficult to argue with what he's accomplished.

#every #fans #received

Howie Rose drove to Shea Stadium on Sept. 21, 2001, uncertain about whether Major League Baseball returning to New York City after 9/11 was the right decision. He drove home from the game knowing it was the only decision.
Rose recently joined the Awful Announcing Podcast to discuss his looming retirement from the Mets radio booth and some of the biggest moments from his broadcasting career. And while Rose made a habit of coming up big in the biggest moments, one of the calls he will always be ***** ociated with was Mike Piazza's home run in that first game back at Shea Stadium after 9/11.
On the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Rose reflected on baseball returning to New York and calling Piazza's home run that allowed New Yorkers to smile again.
"I did not think it was the right decision until Mike hit that baseball," Rose admitted. "If they would have decreed on the evening of September 11th or the morning of September 12th that 'this is a nation in shock, in mourning, that needs to recover, it's late in the season, and we don't think coming back to play is the right thing to do,' I'd have been fine with that. My head wasn't into it at all. I drove to the ballpark that night of September 21st, concerned, worried.
"It was the first time any of us would be in a gathering that size… and we were still looking over our shoulders. In some ways, we still are today. So, I wasn't sure it was the right call," Rose continued. "And then Mike hit the homer. And I saw the reaction. That's when it dawned on me…it wasn't just the right decision, it was the only decision."

#right #mike #Baseball #drove

On Aug. 27, 18-year-old Addisyn Baird was in Hartford, Connecticut, preparing to play in a hockey tournament when she received a life-changing phone call.
The call was from Justine Siegal, commissioner of the Women's Pro Baseball League (WPBL). The Los Angeles Queens needed another player after one of their outfielders left to play for Curaçao's national team and the team wanted to sign Baird as a replacement for the remainder of the season.
"How fast can you get here?" Siegal asked.
The next morning, Baird played in one hockey game. Then she and her dad jumped in the car and drove more than 20 hours to Springfield, Illinois, where the WPBL plays all its games. On Sept. 3, Baird made her professional debut for the Queens, whose roster includes former Little League World Series phenom Mo'ne Davis.
Baird is the only current high school student playing in the inaugural season of the WPBL, which launched in August with four teams. The WPBL playoffs are underway this month, with two best-of-three semifinal series preceding a best-of-five championship series scheduled to begin Sept. 16.

#wpbl #series #sept #call

With 2.5 weeks remaining in the regular season, those in the fantasy baseball playoffs should be focused on adding players with favorable schedules in the coming days. The list this week includes hitters to stream this weekend (Henry Bolte, Jeff McNeil, Colt Keith) as well as those who should be added by Monday (Ty France, Mickey Moniak, Cole Carrigg).
The same can be said on the pitching side, as those who need a weekend streamer can skip to the bottom of this article.
Ty France, 1B, Padres, 31%: France has been one of baseball's best hitters in the second half, batting .324 with a .937 OPS. Unfortunately, he remains on waivers in many leagues, as managers opt to chase an influx of exciting rookies rather than adding a boring veteran. But that should change over the weekend, as France and his teammates will open next week with four games at Coors Field against a Rockies pitching staff that ranks last in baseball with a 5.50 ERA. Managers in deeper formats could also consider Jake Cronenworth (6%), who has hit second in the lineup of late, or catcher Luis Campusano (1%), who is working as a DH often enough to keep him in the regular lineup.
Mickey Moniak, OF, Rockies, 26%: Moniak has some similarities to France, as a boring veteran who is having his productive season overshadowed by a constant stream of youngsters on the waiver wire. The 28-year-old has been terrific at home (.957 OPS) and against right-handers (.835 OPS) this season, which makes him a potential league-winner next week when the Rockies play seven games at their hitter-friendly home park, including five versus right-handed starters. Those who cannot add Moniak can consider his teammate, Cole Carrigg (15%).
Henry Bolte, OF, Athletics, 30%: Bolte is the fastest runner in baseball and has a bit of pop, which has made him the Athletics regular leadoff hitter and one of baseball's most explosive players. He is batting .320 since the beginning of August, and during September he has already accumulated four homers and five steals. Like many Athletics hitters, Bolte has fared best at his offense-inducing home park, which is where he will play this weekend. It helps that the series will come against the Mariners, who surprising rank 28th in baseball with a 5.39 ERA since the All-Star break.

#moniak #Rockies #athletics #week

Gwyneth Paltrow and her husband, Brad Falchuk, took in a Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park on Sept. 9
Falchuk, born and raised just outside Boston, is a lifelong Red Sox fan
The team most recently won the World Series in October 2018, roughly one month after Falchuk and Paltrow got married
Gwyneth Paltrow and her husband, Brad Falchuk, took a trip to see his favorite baseball team play!
Paltrow, 53, shared six photos and videos to Instagram on Thursday, Sept. 10, from her and Falchuk's trip to Fenway Park in Boston to watch the Boston Red Sox play the Los Angeles Angels the day prior. Falchuk, 55, grew up just outside Boston in Newton, Mass., and is a lifelong Red Sox fan.

#park #husband

The FSU baseball program has landed its fourth player in the 2028 recruiting class, and it is yet another in-state prospect, with two-way player Garrett Harper committing on Thursday.
"Officially committed to Florida State University! 🍢 Thank you to my parents, family, friends, coaches, teammates, and Brad for believing in me and helping me get here." he wrote on social media. "Thank you to FSU for the opportunity to continue my academic & baseball journey. Time to work!"
Harper is a left-handed pitcher and outfielder from Cocoa Beach, Florida. He was originally a member of the 2029 recruiting class, but reclassified to join the 2028 class in April. He has a great frame at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds.
He had a strong freshman season at Cocoa Beach High School and is looking to take another step as a junior after skipping his sophomore season. He finished the season hitting .442 with nine doubles, one home run, 19 RBI, and 27 runs in 29 games. He recorded a .509 on-base percentage, walking 11 times and striking out twice.
He made 12 appearances on the mound, going 3-0 with a 2.07 ERA in 44 innings. He held opponents to a .179 batting average, allowing 26 runs (13 earned) on 28 hits and 30 walks, striking out 69 batters. He faced 190 batters and did not allow an extra-base hit.

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The Milwaukee Brewers are not an organization known for producing many power bats, but rather a team that focuses on developing toolsy players to play their style of baseball.
However, Andrew Fischer seems to be an exception. In a Minor League system full of players like Brice Turang, the Brewers have a player who's more Kyle Schwarber than anyone else. Andrew Fischer blasted his 47th home run of the Minor League season on Thursday, the most by a player since the turn of the century. However, his strikeout rate makes him an atypical Brewer.
His 47th home run passed Ryan Howard's 46 Minor League home runs in 2004 with the Philadelphia Phillies organization. Fischer is the first player to reach the 47 home run mark in a Minor League season since Tony Solaita in 1968.
Fischer's historic season is not over yet, as the Brewers' Double-A affiliate, the Biloxi Shuckers, still have four regular-season games left.
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