cactusleague Page 5 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

The future is bright… deep in the heart of Texas
For most MLB fanbases, this part of the season sucks. You think Kansas City Royals fans, Miami Marlins fans, and Pittsburgh Pirates fans are as excited to see these games as they were at the start of the season? The only thing those fan bases are looking forward to are the players in their farm syst...

If you build it, MLB will black it out
Iowa is such the middle of nowhere for Major League Baseball that the idea of having a game amid the cornstalks at the Field of Dreams site only came about after games in London, Australia, and Mexico....

Who’s the Evil Empire now?
LOS ANGELES — It is official: The Los Angeles Dodgers are now the new Evil Empire....

The Cubs finally let go of the burden of being good
It started before Kris Bryant was called up. Fuck, it probably started the day Anthony Rizzo signed his extension. This was the day the Cubs told everyone they dreaded, but secretly couldn’t wait for....

The Padres just don’t give a damn
It seems like the Padres kick off every phase of transactions now. They started the offseason when they went after Blake Snell and Yu Darvish. And now they’re just about the first to move before Friday’s MLB trade deadline, as they moved to save Adam Frazier from baseball irrelevance in Pittsburgh. ...

Hear me out: Tony La Russa… Manager of the Year?
Tony La Russa could shockingly be A.L. Manager of the Year for playoff-bound White Sox...

'It turned my baseball utopia to Hell.'
WASHINGTON, D.C. — From perfect to panic....

No, Marty Brennaman, ESPN didn’t go far enough with Stephen A. — but the Reds were right to fire your son
In case you forgot, Thom Brennaman had a very bad day on August 19 of last year. On the air while calling a Cincinnati Reds game, he apparently was unaware of a hot mic and was heard using a homophobic slur. Like, a really, really bad one, with a really, really bad tone. It’s unclear what spurred hi...

Sucks to be a Seattle Mariners fan these days, huh?
During the MLB All-Star Game last night, there was a moment in the sixth inning where Rays’ catcher Mike Zunino hit a home run off Mets’ pitcher Taijuan Walker, who was being caught by Milwaukee’s Omar Narvaez. Dodgers’ outfielder Chris Taylor watched the ball soar over his head, as Zunino rounded t...

Not sure if you’ve noticed, but it’s July and the Giants are still In first place
After their hot start, you could be forgiven for thinking that the San Francisco Giants were just a flash in the pan that would fizzle out before long, considering they’re in the same division as the defending World Series Champ Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Fernando Tatis Jr.s (or Padres if...

Cubs’ City Connect jerseys advertise a neighborhood they killed
Spend enough time raging against the dying of the light and all you end up with is a sore throat and in the dark. Some things just can’t be prevented, no matter how hard you try and how right you are. The minute you learn that fact is probably the exact minute your childhood dies. ...

The Cleveland Avengers, really?
When a team changes its name, there’s so much potential for creativity. Obviously, there are some aspects that need to be avoided. You don’t want to pick a name that will marginalize or stereotype any groups. You also want to choose something that represents the city, state, or area you’re playing f...

The Chicago Cubs are the real-life team from 'Major League'
Now you have to imagine Tom Ricketts in her dress. Have a nice day....

Rob Manfred isn’t even trying to hide his sniveling evil anymore
I guess it’s something of progress that the news of the Oakland A’s doing the ol’ “starting to look around” thing to get their partner to pay more attention to them was met with a basic shrug by most everyone. Because it’s so familiar, so predictable, all part of the cycle. Whenever a team is lookin...

So is there anything actually wrong with the Dodgers?
No. Of course not. What’re you, new?...

The Reek in Review: L.A. Dodgers edition
You smell that?...

Dustin May’s injury highlights a bigger problem in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball gets a lot of flack for its unwritten rules, inaction against cheaters, television blackouts, and inability to market top players. Yet, what MLB gets the most hate for is its unwillingness to change....

Padres and Dodgers are baseball in 2021
It’s something of a surprise that as anticipated as the season series between the Padres and Dodgers was before the season started, the seven games they’ve played have managed to outweigh that anticipation. They’ve lived up to the billing and so much more. Whatever baseball’s problems are on the fie...

Chicago doesn’t need your tired whataboutism, Kaycee Sogard
I don’t know Kaycee Sogard, the wife of Chicago Cubs infielder Eric Sogard. What little I do know about her, I garnered her epic, self-imposed Twitter meltdown last night, which happened, conveniently, just as the Cubs were losing to the Pirates 6-3....

The Cubs are allergic to hits again
Nine games into a season is generally a stupid time to declare any team has major problems. It’s just about five percent of a season. Barely a pimple on the nose of the body of the season. But if you’re the Chicago Cubs, and you’ve had the last couple of seasons they’ve had, and you’re doing/fucking...