I am incredibly honored to be nominated by the @FSWA for Best Baseball podcast in 2024! @Beat_Shift_Pod Couldn't have done it without my podcast mate, @mlbinjuryguru !!! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas…

Softball win #31 for me on the season today. I'm 4-0 in the snowflake league with playoffs coming up starting next week. We beat the top team in the league (higher tier team) in the 1st game, and then lost in extras in the 2nd game. Today's pitching line - 7 IP, 8 H, 2 BB, 3 ER, 3 K, W I'm at 96 Ks on the year ... hoping to get to 100, but I'd either have to have a 4 K outing next week, or something like 2 Ks each of the next 2 weeks in the playoffs. I've had 4+ Ks in 8 of the 39 games I've started this season, and 10 3K games. Some 50% chance to get to 99 next week, and 20% to get to 100 ...

Its called a market inefficiency. If everyone is doing one thing - then "another thing" is going to have more value. Teams that are on the forefront of what that is will be successful initially. Then everyone else will copy that, and that market inefficiency goes away ... until a team find some other market inefficiency, and the sort of "cycle" continues ... This is true about baseball, and about just about anything else.

Big news.

Attention - Anyone who is headed to First Pitch Arizona #FPAZ presented by @BaseballHQ who is interested while you are out there in either: A) Playing some pickleball B) Going to a Phoenix Suns game Give me a DM ...

The players association will point to 3 of 4 remaining playoff teams being low spend / low market. If the Dodgers win again, the owners will point to that. But this of course ignores the other 8 teams that made the playoffs. This also ignores regular season record magnitudes. A serious evaluation would be done by looking at 1) The full complement of playoff teams over the past few years of this collective bargaining arrangement 2) The compliment of teams that do not make the playoffs, but come close. 3) The compliment of teams that are at the bottom of the league each season. But each side will solely focus on the most recent data point that helps their argument.

I've stepped it up in summer and fall leagues: 13-2 record, 1.43 ERA (3.19 run avg including unearned runs), 1.16 WHIP, 11% K%, 4% K-BB%

Today I pitched in my 42nd game of the season - my 38th game that I started. 260 IP accross all leagues. Picked up my 30th league win of the year! Pitching line: 6 IP, 9 H, 2 BB, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 K, W Hitting wise I had a great day (2 games): 4 for 5, 3 BB, 2 2B, 4 R, 2 RBI

RIP Mike Ditka

I talked about the low pay in baseball, and particularly from the @Mets in a @Beat_Shift_Pod podcast episode with @ZackScottSports a couple of months ago. Sorry, but $22 an hour in the New York area is a low figure and will not attract the best talent. The #Mets can do better. Listen here: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas…

This is like asking - who will win the World Series in 2027? The Dodgers, Rays, or the field? Obviously - its the field that has a higher probability than 2 individual specific teams. Even if the Dodgers and Rays each had a 20% chance to win in 2027 (and they don't) - the field would still be at 60%.

Programming note - If you will be coming to First Pitch Arizona, presented by @BaseballHQ and would like to play some pickleball over the extended weekend - Please PM me.

Well, summer is over and fall is in full swing. Friday was likely the last time that the temperature will be over 80 degrees in New York. And tonight will be the first time that it will drop below 50 degrees. So sad.

Oh man ... this is not correct. The Yankees defeated the Red Sox in 3 games last year after losing game 1. Somehow I blocked that one out of memory ...

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!

RIP Mr. Belding