@BillyGrzanka@Jomboy_@MLB You sound like you’d be a great umpire. Local leagues need people like you to give the game the great officiating it deserves.
Today in 2001…Chuck Knoblauch is pelted by hot dogs. Tom Kelly pleads for fans to stop and PA announcer Bob Casey tells fans “This is an important game! Now quit this!”
Some footage of Ty Cobb, Thomas Edison and Connie Mack during the 1927 World Series. Towards the end, Ty Cobb throws a ball to Thomas Edison and he almost smokes Ty Cobb with the ball.
Very short footage but probably the coolest thing you’ll see today.
@ClintHurdle13 Sir, YOU deserve the thanks for sharing. I’m just happy to amplify thoughts that help us get better. As ball players but more importantly as persons. 🫡
10 things I've learned from 50 years in baseball:
1: The game isn't just about numbers. It's about heartbeats. It's about trust. It's about showing up every single day ready to get better.
2: Young players want to be great overnight. But greatness isn't built in a day. It's built in the small moments - being good for a day, then a week, then a month. Hall of Famers? They're just players who were good for a very long time.
3: We measure everything now. Launch angles. Spin rates. Exit velocity. But you know what we can't measure? Guts and nuts. The ability to keep showing up and keep fighting to get better.
4: Three questions every player needs answered about their coach:
Can I trust you?
Do you care about me?
Can you make me better?
Without these, nothing else matters.
5: My dad taught me the only thing fair in life is a ball between first and third. How you handle what's not fair? That defines you.
6: Stop treating players like pieces. They're humans with heartbeats. When we eliminate the heartbeat, the game becomes sterile. Feed it. Encourage it. Love it.
7: It's not old school vs new school. It's about being in school, together.
8: If you're not a leader, be a follower. If you're neither? You're just a roadblock.
9: Want to know if you're a good coach? Ask your players what they think your expectations are. You might be surprised by the gap between what you think you're saying and what they're hearing.
10: After all these years, one truth remains: The game is about transformation, not just transactions. Change the person, not just their stats. That's how you build something that lasts.
I share more lessons like these in my book, Hurdle-isms. Tap the link in my bio to order a copy. I think you'll be glad that you did!
Intentional walk sucks. Don't care about the history, it sucks. We've all sat here watching an all-timer, and for the last two hours, Ohtani hasn't been allowed to swing and now Betts too. Day 1 rule change for me as commissioner.
Jarren Duran on the incident with the Guardians fan this afternoon:
“I’m just happy the security handled it and the umpires were aware of it… I have a good support staff around me. Teammates, coaches, and fans that were supporting me, so that was awesome.”
If you're a baseball junkie, take the time & listen to Dino Ebel in this clip. There's a lot to unpack here, and it's all awesome stuff.
First, Dino talks about time being on their side. The goal for a pitcher is to deliver the ball to home plate in 1.3 seconds. For a catcher, a 2.0 pop time is the standard, so any runner that can steal from base to base in under 3.3 seconds has time on their side.
Then Dino talks about not yelling back to his runner at 2nd to make sure they're not diving back into the bag as a pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate. If that happens, a runner wouldn't be able to score from 2nd on a base hit.
Finally, Dino talks about being aggressive sending runners home with 2 outs. The reason for that is that the odds are better that the defense will make a mistake somewhere along the relay chain than there is of the next hitter getting a base hit.
Fans lose their minds when runners get thrown out at the plate, but, many times, don't realize, that with 2 outs it's pretty much pre-determined because it gives the offense the best odds to score a run.
If the defense executes, so be it, but the next hitter has a 75% chance of getting out, and that's what makes it the correct call.
I could listen to Dino Ebel & Eric Karros talk baseball every day & twice on Sundays. #dodgers
@bregman_stache@skaplan19@t49589373@DisrespectedThe Stupid take. Should the umpires accordingly deal with your player’s incompetence when he swings at a bad pitch? Boots an easy grounder? Airmails a throw into the stands?
Put a mask on and work a few games. Give back to the game and see how that might evolve your perspective.