Good morning, all! It’s Friday! I will not remind you it is Friday the thirteenth! Good luck!
The attorney for Luis Ortiz is fighting in court to have his client’s case separated from teammate Emmanuel Clause. Both Cleveland Guardians pitchers have been suspended for alleged actions that connect them to a betting scam. I break it down in the video and podcast.
Here is the link to the story in The Athletic.
Here are some other thoughts as I ponder when MLB turned into slo-pitch softball:
So let me get this straight. The story broke on Thursday that ex-Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos brought a beer into the dugout after being removed, during a game at Miami last June, because he was peeved at being taken out. Then personnel intervened trying to hide Castellano and the beer. Worse, the Phillies then had lengthy meetings to determine how he should be disciplined. The conclusion? He was suspended for one game. One game! I would have had his rear end out of Philadelphia so fast he wouldn’t have known if it was the Liberty Bell that hit him. First off, it is a clear violation of MLB policy to have any beverage in the dugout that contains alcohol. Second of all. There is no second of all. He should have been released right then and there; I don’t care how much the Phillies still owed him. What a joke!
For the record, the Phillies, who told Castellanos on Wednesday do not bother to show up to spring training, released him on Thursday, eight months too late.
Good move by MLB to announce umpires will strictly enforce coaches remaining within the lines of the first and third base coaching boxes. There has been a growing concern - and rightly so - that coaches are wandering way beyond those boxes and tipping off pitches to their hitters. Hopefully, the rule will also be enforced in the minor leagues, where coaches are notorious for coaching everywhere but within the coaching lines.
The Super Bowl is history but NFL news never ends. Here are a couple of key dates over the next two weeks. Next Tuesday, Feb. 17, teams can designate the franchise tag or transition tag on players scheduled to become free agents, starting at 4 p.m. ET. The NFL scouting combine will be held in Indianapolis the following week, Feb. 23-Mar. 2. Expect plenty of news about the NFL, surrounding these two events.
The Yankees starting pitching is already a mess; now one of their young starters, who pitched well down the stretch, including ousting the Red Sox from the wild card round, Cam Schlittler, has back inflammation issues. The team has sidelined him for a few days and Schlittler told reporters he has “zero” concern about the issue. Plan on him being out two to three months. He definitely will not be ready for the season.
More injury woes. The Texas Rangers number one ranked prospect, Sebastian Walcott, a 19-year-old shortstop, is out for the season. He suffered a tear in his right UCL.
For those wondering when the World Baseball Classic starts, here is your primer. Thank me later. Actually, thank subscriber Brian Mik. He is the one who directed me to the schedule.
So now the owner of the Baltimore Orioles, billionaire David Rubenstein, supposedly met with Jeffrey Epstein. Who didn’t meet with Jeffrey Epstein? If a mandate emerges that owners of sports teams that met with Epstein have to sell, half the teams in North America will be on the block by March.
R.I.P. Elroy Face. An outstanding relief pitcher, mostly with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Face died on Thursday, eight days shy of his 98th birthday. A little known fact. In 1959 Face appeared in 57 games, all in relief. He went 18-1 with 10 saves that season. Amazing!
That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. Thank you for subscribing and have a fantastic Friday.
DAN
