It’s only spring training, but we’ve already got some beef ahead of the 2024 MLB season.
On Friday, New York Yankees star Gerrit Cole threw a fastball that Toronto Blue Jays slugger Daniel Vogelbach sent deep into the Florida night. There would be no problem with that, but Vogelbach gave a little bat flip and maybe Cole thought his home run trot was a little slow for a game that was happening on the first day of March and not in the regular season.
“Yeah, what’s the day? Are we still in February? March 1st? Yeah, he enjoyed that homer,” Cole said on Friday, per MLB’s Bryan Hoch. And Cole added this when asked if he’d remember that: “I don’t forget a lot of things.”
KG will next need a jersey retirement ceremony and a statue in Minnesota.
Welcome to Layup Lines, For the Win’s basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Have feedback for the Layup Lines Crew? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey. Now, here’s Bryan Kalbrosky.
Simply put, the two individuals do not see eye-to-eye or get along. Despite playing for the team for more than a decade, Garnett has called Taylor a “snake” who does not know “[expletive] about basketball” and that only represents a fraction of what he has said about the businessman.
Taylor is on the way out, though, and a new ownership group will gain control. Now that Marc Lore and former MLB star Alex Rodriguez are about to take over, Garnett could eventually take a role with the team. Here is more from Brian Windhorst (via ESPN):
“Garnett’s guidance is brought up often by [Karl-Anthony] Towns. And with the Wolves on the verge of finally being sold by longtime owner Glen Taylor to Marc Lore and partners including Alex Rodriguez, that influence might be drawing closer.
Assuming the transaction is finalized, there is a chance Garnett will take a role with the organization, sources told ESPN. He has been in a bitter dispute with Taylor and distant from the franchise in recent years.”
His role is unclear but in May 2021, Pioneer Press journalist Charley Walters reported that Garnett would likely be “heavily involved” in the Timberwolves basketball department once Rodriguez and Lore eventually took control.
The following year, Walters (the same reporter) added that Rodriguez and Lore also wanted Garnett to join their ownership group with a significant investment. The expectation was that an overdue Garnett statue and jersey retirement would follow.
While these are just rumors for now and may not happen, as a sports fan, it is also very cool that Rodriguez may bridge the gap between Garnett and his longtime franchise.
In so many ways, the two former players mirrored each other during their professional careers. Both were very hyped prospects and top picks in their respective drafts then had similar longevities and long-term success playing their sports, reaching their highest moments at similar points in their careers.
Garnett played in the NBA between 1995 and 2016 while Rodriguez played in the MLB between 1994 and 2016. KG was a 15-time All-Star and won his only championship in 2008. A-Rod was a 14-time All-Star who won his only championship in 2009.
Although it was the only time he received the honor, Garnett was the NBA’s MVP in 2004. Rodriguez won the award in the American League for the first time in 2003 (then won it again in 2005 and 2007).
These are also two of the greatest players of their eras who lived up to their lofty hype. Garnett and Rodriguez never got to win a championship for the teams that drafted them, though. A-Rod has said that in retrospect, he feels that he may have left the Mariners “too early” (via Seattle Times):
“I always think about that – boy, if I stayed one more year, with Ichiro, maybe we could take on Goliath and actually get over the top,” he said. “But that never came.”
Even though leaving the team was the right call for him, if he comes back to the franchise, perhaps his presence can help keep the talented roster together moving forward.
Nowadays, the Timberwolves have two former No. 1 overall picks that they drafted on their roster: Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns. The team is enjoying tremendous success as the top seed in the Western Conference.
When projecting the long-term future based on payroll, for financial reasons after also owing a massive salary to Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner Rudy Gobert, it will be a challenge to keep this core group together.
But for the fans who are watching this team in Minnesota, it would likely be incomparable to see the continuity of the homegrown talent win for the team that drafted them. Anything that Rodriguez and KG can do to convince them to stay would go a long way.
Especially as they are playing elite basketball, meanwhile, there is no better time than the present for KG to have a role with Minnesota. The idea of a statue and a jersey retirement ceremony should follow shortly after that, too.
The Most Singularly Strange NBA Moment
Bally Sports San Antonio
The Spurs mascot dressed up as Batman and chased a loose bat around the court during the Timberwolves game.
If that doesn’t make sense, I get it. Cory Woodroof has you covered:
“In one of the most singularly strange moments in the 2023-24 NBA season, a bat got loose in the San Antonio Spurs’ Frost Bank Center and got promptly chased by the Spurs mascot wearing a Batman costume and holding a giant net.
Don’t worry; the world around you is not glitching to reveal The Matrix. This is a thing that actually happened in San Antonio on Saturday night, and it’s apparently not the first time?”
If Rutgers football isn’t back, it’s about as close as it can get without crossing the threshold.
On Thursday the Scarlet Knights capped off their first winning season since 2014 with a 31-24 victory over Miami (FL) in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. And seeing as how the game was at Yankee Stadium, which meant Rutgers was basically playing in home territory, it only felt right that ESPN’s play-by-play man Drew Carter ended the broadcast with a Bronx victory tradition.
Carter channeled his inner John Sterling and sent Rutgers into the offseason by paying homage to the longtime Yankees broadcaster’s famous call.
Drew Carter called the Pinstripe Bowl today for ESPN, and fittingly, Carter imitated John Sterling to sign off from The Bronx.
Good morning, Winners! Happy Friday Jr. It’s almost the weekend, folks. Can’t you just feel it?
Let’s talk about the Yankees for a second. The blockbuster deal between New York and the San Diego Padres has all of the Lakers and Cowboys fans on my timeline ecstatic.
For those of you who may have been out of the loop, the Yankees sacrificed a bunch of pitching to land Juan Soto and Trent Grisham from the Padres. Our Charles Curtis has trade grades here. The Yankees’ grade was an A, of course, because how could it not be?
New York just landed a 25-year-old star heading into the prime of his career coming up on a contract year. We haven’t seen the best of Juan Soto yet but what we’ve already seen was good enough to lead the Nationals to the franchise’s first World Series back in 2019. That’s terrifying.
Trent Grisham is a fine piece in the outfield. Losing pitching always sucks. But, folks. It’s Juan Soto. I mean, have y’all seen the Yankees’ projected lineup? This thing is bananas.
Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Standon, Gleyber Tores and Juan Soto? Come on, man.
The Evil Empire vibes are so back, man. Can’t you just feel it? This lineup has the vibe of all the old George Steinbrenner teams. The ones that had irrationally large payrolls with gobs of talent — not the more analytical ones we’re used to these days.
The scary part is the Yankees don’t seem to be done. The Yankees are currently in the middle of a bidding war with the Mets for Yoshinobu Yamamoto. If they land him? Whew, boy. It’s going to be a rough year for the rest of the American League.
Let’s find the Pistons next win
(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Welp, folks. The Pistons losing streak continues. After a 116-102 loss to the Grizzlies with Desmond Bane dropping a career-high 49 points, it’s starting to look bleak. The Pistons have lost 18 straight and that felt like Detroit’s best chance to win for…a while.
The upcoming schedule is TOUGH. Let’s do a quick exercise. I’ll keep rattling off games until we get to one where it feels like there’s a solid chance for a win.
Let’s start:
— @ Orlando Magic on Dec. 8
— vs. Indiana Pacers on Dec. 11
— vs. Philadelphia 76ers on Dec. 13
— @ Philadelphia 76ers on Dec. 15
— @ Milwaukee Bucks on Dec. 16
— @ Atlanta Hawks on Dec. 18
— vs. Utah Jazz on Dec. 21
THERE IT IS. The Utah Jazz on the 21st. If the Pistons haven’t caught someone slipping by then, that’ll be the game it happens. Detroit will get a win for Christmas.
Book it. Also, sorry, Jazz fans.
JJ Watt gets it
It’s nice to see someone come to the defense of Shohei Ohtani and his quiet free agency period so far.
“Just in the past 24 hours, we’ve seen Buster Olney, Stephen A. Smith and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo criticize Ohtani on ESPN. The Athletic’s Braves beat writer David O’Brien also called Ohtani’s approach pretentious.
But as Watt pointed out, there isn’t really anything Ohtani could do here to keep reporters satisfied. If he let the entire free agency play out in the public eye, he’d get criticized in a similar way LeBron did when he signed with the Heat. It would be a circus, and sure, someone would probably scoop the decision. Yet, by taking this private approach, Ohtani gets to focus on the decision on his own terms and see which teams he can actually trust.”
Let Shohei Ohtani cook. Quietly.
Quick hits: The NBA In-Season Tournament might be as good as it gets for LA … Adam Silver’s weird comparison … and more
Fast-forward to December 6, 2023: The Yankees acquired star outfielder Juan Soto in a trade, giving their lineup a much-needed boost. And how did the Yankees’ X (formerly Twitter) account celebrate it? With a clear joke about “Jon Soto” appearing to be headed to the Yankees.
Full circle, hilarious and timely. Can’t ask for a better post than that:
Who won the Juan Soto blockbuster? Here’s your answer.
It’s the deal that’s been buzzed about for what feels like all of Wednesday at the 2023 MLB Winter Meetings: Juan Soto is on his way from the San Diego Padres — who JUST traded for the young slugger in 2022! — to the New York Yankees, where the outfielder will presumably hit so many home runs as a lefty in that ballpark.
It makes sense for both teams when you think about it. But if you’re here, you’re probably wondering: Who won this deal between the two teams with massive payrolls? We have answers. Here are the grades for both the Yankees and Padres:
The Yankees are a chaotic mess and free agency hasn’t even started yet.
Few MLB teams committed as many errors as the New York Yankees in 2023. General manager Brian Cashman has now added to that unfortunate tally of self-inflicted blemishes.
Last week, Cashman talked about the health of designated hitter/outfielder Giancarlo Stanton in an interview with the New York Daily News. While saying that yes, Stanton remained important to the Yankees’ plans, he also made cutting remarks about his player being “injury-prone.” (Note: Stanton has missed at least 50 games in each of the last two seasons.)
Cashman would later clarify these remarks. Still, even while (kind of?) complimenting Stanton’s hitting talents, Cashman seemingly couldn’t help but continue to fan the flames of comments that almost certainly wouldn’t sit well.
“We try to limit the time he’s [Stanton] down,” Cashman said. “But I’m not gonna tell you he’s gonna play every game next year because he’s not. He’s going to wind up getting hurt again more likely than not because it seems to be part of his game. But I know that when he’s right and healthy — other than this past year — the guy’s a great hitter and has been for a long time.”
I don’t know what Cashman was thinking because there’s virtually zero chance any rational-minded human being wouldn’t take exception to being critiqued like that in a public setting. Naturally, after catching wind of Cashman’s criticism, Stanton’s agent, Joel Wolfe, responded with a passive-aggressive statement that essentially warned pending MLB free agents from signing with the Bronx Bombers. This is awful news for a team that figured to be a major player in this year’s MLB free-agent period.
Giancarlo Stanton’s agent, Joel Wolfe, responds below to Yankees GM Brian Cashman saying of Stanton, “He’s going to wind up getting hurt again more likely than not because it seems to be part of his game.” pic.twitter.com/gZHlqy4cfY
Well, that’s just about the worst possible outcome for Cashman, isn’t it?
Not only did his disappointing Yankees miss last year’s postseason, he might now have to backpedal his comments about Stanton’s health in order to keep New York’s clubhouse together for a hopeful big rebound in 2024. It’s a good thing the New York media is famously kind and fair and won’t pounce the moment Cashman’s team inevitably falls short of its goals and expectations.
Oh, right. Bravo to Cashman. He has probably brought the Yankees’ coming firestorm upon himself.
Despite a wildly disappointing 2023 season, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner made a somewhat surprising decision this week to bring back manager Aaron Boone. As if the news wasn’t concerning enough for Yankees fans, Steinbrenner’s comments about Boone’s new strategic approach didn’t help matters either.
Boone apparently wants to bunt more.
Now, the new rules have brought back stolen bases to the game in ways MLB hasn’t seen for decades, but the sacrifice bunt is quickly becoming a relic of baseball’s past. The universal DH means that non-Ohtani pitchers aren’t hitting, so managers don’t have to account for an automatic out in the lineup. The emphasis teams have on advanced metrics also goes against bunting, which is seen as giving away an out just to move over a runner.
The Yankees only had nine sacrifice bunts in 2023 — down from 14 in 2022. But Boone apparently thinks bunts are back!
Hal Steinbrenner said Aaron Boone believes bunting is becoming a bigger part of the game. So the expectation is that will increase.
The Arizona Diamondbacks’ surprise run to the World Series may have played a part in this belief from Boone. The D-backs had 14 more sacrifice bunts than any other playoff team in 2023, so in a way, they proved that small ball could be effective. But the D-backs don’t play in Yankee Stadium, and they don’t have this generation’s best home run hitter like the Yankees do.
Plus, the team with the best record in baseball — the Braves — ranked last in sacrifice bunts. The Rangers ranked 22nd. The D-backs were the anomaly when it comes to bunting.
Obviously, something has to change with the Yankees’ approach in 2024, but MLB fans roasted Boone for thinking that bunting could be the answer.
Despite having baseball’s second-highest payroll in 2023, the Yankees will be heading into the offseason when October comes around. And they didn’t exactly have a rousing sendoff for their home finale at Yankee Stadium.
Even if the listed attendance said otherwise.
Severe weather in New York forced the team to move Saturday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks to Monday afternoon. Now, that Saturday game was initially supposed to have a great crowd with it being Aaron Judge bobblehead night. But when the team was forced to move the game to Monday, very few Yankees fans decided to make the trip to the Bronx for the matinee game.
Yet, the Yankees apparently arrive at attendance figures based on tickets sold and not actual people in the stands. That led to a wild announced attendance of 41,096 when the real crowd couldn’t have exceeded 4,000 people.
On the bright side for the fans who actually went to the game, they saw an impressive comeback win and had the opportunity to catch SO MANY foul balls.
Fans still thought that announced attendance was hilarious because, well, look at that crowd!
