Now Warming Up…MLB

Let's start with the Opener.

***Currently with the best record in MLB, the Detroit Tigers are as exciting a team as fans will find in 2025.  The Tigers are winning at home and on the road behind solid pitching and timely hitting.  They have a comfortable lead over the second-place Twins. First baseman Spencer Torkelson and left fielder Riley Greene are both driving in copious runs for Detroit.  With all the talk of the Dodgers bulldozing the league, the Tigers are showing up as a legitimate contender. What do you think?

Now to the Set Up Man.

***The worldwide leader in sports, ESPN, recently used their opt-out clause on their contract with MLB, throwing a curveball to MLB fans who have acclimated to Sunday Night Baseball on the network for years.  Maybe it is time the league figured out the mess that is watching some of these games.  Fans are forced to navigate through too many apps for national games, while the official MLB prohibits the viewing of any “local” game.  If the goal is to increase the number of fans, why would they blackout the local games?  Now, with ESPN’s opt-out, MLB needs to open up the viewership for the good of the game.  Sitting in Riverview, Florida, I can watch any MLB game with my MLB subscription...except the Tampa Bay Rays. This is short-sighted and counterproductive.  Give MLB fans the access they deserve and want!

Now the Closer.

***The Atlanta Braves may have endured the worst loss in recent memory this week when they blew a 7-run lead, all in the 9th inning, against the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Yikes!  The Braves are currently 7 games below .500, even with the return of the dynamic Ronald Acuna, Jr.  I expect them to play better as Acuna returns to form, but a true hole has been dug.  The perennial playoff team is going to struggle mightily to play in October in 2025.

 "A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings." – Earl Wilson