Good morning, all and happy Tuesday!
MLB’s trade deadline is Aug. 3 at 6:00 PM ET and the clickbait stories have started. I break it all down in the above commentary.
Here are some other thoughts as we enter the latter third of July:
The Red Sox have gone from being in the conversation to being the conversation. Make that 14 wins in a row, after last night’s 6-5 win over the Orioles. They would tie the franchise record with a win tonight.
I say it’s 50-50 Anthony Volpe is still with the Yankees after the trade deadline. The media makes a big deal how the Yankees do not like to trade a number one draft choice - Volpe was a first round pick in 2019 - because it’s an admission of failure. The reality is most clubs are hesitant to trade a player who was their first round pick. The fact Volpe is no longer an everyday player at the age of 25 is itself an admission it has not worked out. If Volpe is not going to play everyday in pinstripes, he needs to go, and I say it’s 50-50 he does.
More layoffs at ESPN. The all-sports network is cutting ties with NFL analyst Ryan Clark. He was actually given the pink slip while on “NFL Live” yesterday. Clark learned of his dismissal during the program and was not allowed to finish the show. It’s a cruel business. More layoffs are expected today at the Bristol, CT-based network, speaking of cruel businesses.
As expected former UConn AD Warde Manuel is out as AD at his alma mater Michigan, following a football season that ended in chaos, a no-no at Michigan. He will depart at the end of the calendar year.
USA Today baseball writer Bob Nightengale is reporting Carlos Beltran is the New York Mets choice to be their next manager. Carlos Mendoza was fired last month and Andy Green hired on an interim basis. Beltran even told The Athletic the Mets wanted to hire him right after Mendoza was dismissed, but he turned them down, because of the hectic summer he is facing. Beltran will be inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame this weekend. Remember all this, by the way, when Beltran does not get the job. Loose lips usually sink ships.
Also remember Beltran was hired to manage the Mets once before but was then fired before he could even go to spring training, because of his role in the Houston Astros cheating scandal.
Yesterday Hall of Famer Tony Oliva turned 88. I give you the inside-the-park home run he hit against the Yankees on July 4, 1964 at Yankee Stadium with the “Voice of the Yankees,” Mel Allen on the call.
That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. Thank you for being a subscriber!
DAN
