I'd rather be sitting in a ballpark.

I haven’t done a deep dive into Cody Bellinger’s numbers at Great American Ballpark, but I’m hoping he busts out this week against the Reds. Earlier today I read a silly column where the author said that the Bellinger deal (and others) were bargain-driven and failures (already). I suggested columns like this were being written…

Thank God for Dansby Swanson! If he continues at the rate he started, he’ll end up with 357 hits this year. I know that’s impossible, but 310 is likely, right? In every ML city, there’s a columnist and a half dozen fans extrapolating what the new guy in town will accomplish this season. Conversely, I…

The pitch clock is great and it’s trimming minutes off games. Okay, I got that out of the way. Even though today’s Cubs-Brewers game clocked in at 2:57, it felt like a slog to me. I guess there’s no way to gussy up and poor pitching performance or two. Mark Leiter Jr. escaped the fifth…

Unless you’re fortunate to have spent some time in either Florida or Arizona, Thursday was probably your first baseball since the Astros defeated the Phillies last year. As such, you’re probably as excited as I am, and are already to draw some pretty crazy conclusions based on one or two games. It’s what we do.…

Several people have asked me for my opinions on the various rule changes in MLB. I’ve already explained their reasoning for the larger bases isn’t sound, but that doesn’t mean it won’t benefit the game. Ghost runners are an abomination and until they go to pitcher’s hand out, I won’t be happy with the tinkering.…

For the next four hours or so, fans from 30 teams will have the unique ability to argue their team is the best in the game. Unless, you’re in an alternate universe, ST wins and losses don’t mean anything. For the moment, all 30 teams are 0-0, thus starting from the same point. Cities that…

Forget the lousy impressions and the oversized glasses, sidle up to a bar (real or imaginary) and toast Harry Caray for the 25th time. That the big celebrations are taking place at his various namesake establishments is perfunctory. It’s hard to believe that it’s been 25 years since Harry passed away, and yet it makes…

Even the best ML teams are surprising their fans with some last minute roster decisions. It’s not just the middle of the pack teams with flexibility that leave key veterans off their 26-man roster in March. Cubs starting right fielder, Seiya Suzuki begins the season on the IL, but it’s unclear which of three surprises…

Usually spring training is all about careers taking off, but occasionally veterans learn their careers are coming to an end. More often than not, players are left scrambling to find alternative jobs. The prospect of a minor league contract doesn’t appeal to players that have spent years in the big leagues. The decision to retire…

It’s not the job of a ML team to announce open competitions to the media before spring training. However, experienced reporters can tell when something is up at camp. The front office does have a duty to tell specific players if they are competing for a job at the ML level. Every situation is different…