Shirley Povich writing in 1962, with the most immaculate burn conceivable of the Redskins awful, vile owner George Preston Marshall, the last NFL owner to insist on an all white roster: "Jim Brown, born ineligible to play for the Redskins, integrated their end zone three times yesterday." RIP WaPo.

A publisher who lays off a reporter whose pen is freezing because she's covering a frigid war zone while dodging missiles is not an editor you want to work for, in a more perfect world

At least WaPo waited for a lull to kill their entire sports dept. The only things on tap are the Winter Olympics…and the Super Bowl…and the World Baseball Classic…and MLB…and the World Cup…and…and…

No no, I'm pretty sure that's Buck Dharma of Blue Oyster Cult

AI boldly declares that "The individuals pictured from left to right are Edwin McMillan, Glenn Seaborg, John F. Kennedy, and Defense Secretary Robert McNamara." No, they are definitely not. Can anyone do better?

Now here's what popped up when I did a reverse image search on Google: "AI Overview" "No, the image is not from The Ed Sullivan Show. The photograph actually shows President John F. Kennedy (third from left) during a visit to the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory in March 1962." So confident!

Would you like to see a wild google AI fail? Someone sent me an image from the Ed Sullivan show asking me to identify the people in the photo. He thinks they're New York Yankees. Here's the original photo he sent me:

Portland isn’t gonna cave either.

Finally some good news! HERE COMES THE PIZZER, edited by Eric Poulin and published by @SABR.org , has won the Twin Bill book prize for best baseball poetry book of 2025!

Look what Santa brought me @wpbl.bsky.social gear

OMG IT’S HERE! My first issue of the Baseball Research Journal as editor! I LOVE IT

Finally some good news! HERE COMES THE PIZZER, edited by Eric Poulin and published by @SABR.org , has won the Twin Bill book prize for best baseball poetry book of 2025!

Drat. I was hoping they’d land closer to where I live, somewhere driving distance. But it is about a three hour drive from the site of the Women’s Baseball World Cup in Rockford, IL… www.iwbc.org/worldcup/

The way folks are still going on about IKF not scoring the winning run in G7, really focusing on every little detail and where the 3rd base coach told him to stand, etc etc... maybe I understand how the whole "Pesky held the ball" narrative blew up. The obsessessiveness is completely understandable.

Bill - egads can't remember his last name - James that's it. did a column/study on the edge given to single team players. Links to that article appear broken but Joe Posnanski does have a commentary - paywalled but the preamble is adequate. joeposnanski.substack.com/p/one-team-o...

World Series thoughts. Phillies MLB awards finalists. A FULL Free Agency Preview! Don't miss an all new Hittin' Season, powered by @WHYY.org! @justinklugh.bsky.social @lizroscher.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1...

If you’ve ever had to answer one of Justin’s questions, now is the time for payback

CTV with locker room interviews of Ernie Clement, George Springer, and Vlad Jr. youtu.be/t569MdAZvH0?...

Los Angeles/westside folks: Our foster dog, Hazel, got out tonight around 8:08 p.m., and we have not been able to locate her. Please keep an eye out--and if you see her, DO NOT CHASE. She is very timid and will not come to someone she doesn't know. PLEASE CALL/TEXT THE NUMBERS ON THE FLYER.

“There were no great teams, but there was a lot of great baseball.” Another great recap.

Rounding error

This one is great.

I was at a non-basebally conference this weekend so I didn’t catch up on the epic game seven until yesterday and all I can say is wow. I got my wish. I said what I was rooting for was an extra innings game seven and then it actually happened! So, Shohei, Yamamoto, and Sasaki all on WBC Team Japan?

Game of inches. Less crucial, but I keep thinking about 2 different Jays getting doubled off on what they thought was ball four. I’d never seen that happen before and then twice in one series?

For my entire adult life, baseball people have wrung their hands about the sport's shrinking popularity and fretted over how to grow the game with young people. Turns out the answer is: Show them a game like the one we just watched. Today's Lewsletter: www.thelewsletter.lewispoll.is/p/game-seven...

Yes, I am a bears fan

Big news from SABR: For the first time ever, complete Negro Leagues player and team statistics are now available for download in the Lahman Baseball Database. sabr.org/latest/negro... @seanlahman.bsky.social

Amazon is helping fund a $300 million build of a ballroom for the White House. Independent bookstores are donating to food banks and organizations that help with food insecurity. They are not the same.

This has been studied to death (in a good way!). Generally speaking, 1. Lineups don't matter, but 2. Leading off your best guy is not optimal.

Please stop tormenting this poor man with jerseys from teams that are not his. bsky.app/profile/jmte...

Wrote earlier today about how badly Dave Roberts’ infatuation with Blake Treinen hurt the Dodgers this season. On top of blowing so many games trying to “get Treinen right,” it took valuable reps away from young relievers with little experience who they now need: open.substack.com/pub/mollykni...

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s 50 total bases are the most in a 15-game span in a single postseason That’s also tied for 2nd-most in a postseason overall, behind: 2020 Randy Arozarena: 64 (20g) Tied with: 2020 Corey Seager: 50 (18g) 2011 David Freese: 50 (18g)

But with the crap quality of the nike uniforms who knows if they actually confirm to the Pantone standards…

Updated through World Series Game 4: 11 IP, 13 R, 11 ER, 9.00 ERA, 10 K, 2.545 WHIP, 4 Losses

I feel like these chatGPT ads have to be directed by someone who wanted to be John Hughes when they went to film school…

When was the Last safety squeeze attempted in a postseason? (I can’t remember seeing one…)

This is the content I’m here for!

Shohei Ohtani has reached base safely in 11 consecutive PA, extending the longest streak in World Series history Only longer streak at any point in a single postseason: 2024 Max Muncy, 12 h/t @EliasSports

Hello and welcome back to baseball, the sport where 9 men on one team must attempt to defeat Shohei Ohtani.

The Hall helped me with my research last week and I’m so very grateful, donations help preserve baseball history so people like me can look at 100+ years old scorebooks

Dieter Ruhle all over Kpop Demon Hunters tonight

Last night: • 5 Future Hall of Famers ✅ (Scherzer, Kershaw, Betts, Freeman, Ohtani) • Unpredictable finish ✅ • Immediate sense of history ✅ Best World Series game ever? Here are the opening paragraphs from my chapter on what could be the reigning #1 (book is linked below)

They are also intentionally conflating machine-learning and generative AI slop to confuse and try to make GenAI seem necessary. Google Maps traffic stuff is machine learning, not GenAI, for example. Auto-correct is too. Don't let them make you lose the thread. GenAI slop is slop.

How can you not be romantic about baseball?? "Is he dreaming? Klein earns G3 win ... then a handshake from Koufax" www.mlb.com/news/will-kl...

Someday I will get back to writing recaps of games and other bloggy content, but I'm busy writing a handbook for baseball writers and editors for SABR and University of Nebraska Press right now, so I'm just enjoying reading everyone else's. Someday I would really like to cover the WBC, though...

Blurry thoughts on an incredible game and an instant reaction from Bill James.

"Seranthony Dominguez decided the thing to do was challenge Ohtani with a fastball so middle-middle that Ezra Klein asked it to run for President."

My two favorite recaps so far of last night's 18-inning extravaganza are both from guys who have independent newsletters, both named Joe. @joeposnanski.com and @sheehannewsletter.bsky.social -- Sheehan's is here: www.joesheehan.com

It's hard to have anything new to say about Shohei Ohtani, but I think I got something after spending 30 minutes in @stathead.com search last night: The Blue Jays were more scared of Ohtani last night than any team's ever been of any hitter (including Barry Bonds) slate.com/culture/2025...

Just blows my mind that in 120 years of the postseason a record can be SIX of something and this dude comes along and gets NINE. Would be like Barry Bonds coming along and hitting 105 home runs in 2001… which tbh maybe he would have if they pitched to him.