MLB JUST REACHED A NEW LOW OF STUPIDITY

Major League Baseball has reached a new low, and it’s all about greed. The league’s decision to auction off the ball that New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge dropped in the fifth inning of Game 5 of the 2024 World Series is not just embarrassing—it’s an outright disgrace. For $43,510, an error ball became a symbol of MLB’s shameless attempts to profit at any cost, and Rob Manfred should be ashamed.

The auction, hosted by Major League Baseball, drew 101 bids over its 10-day run, culminating in Thursday night’s sale. Let’s not sugarcoat this: this wasn’t about celebrating the history or beauty of the game. This was about squeezing every dollar possible out of a World Series moment—and a negative one at that. Is this what baseball has become under Manfred’s leadership?

The Yankees entered that inning with a commanding 5-0 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers, only for Judge’s error to spark a five-run rally by the Dodgers. They went on to win 7-6 and claim the World Series championship. Instead of letting that painful moment for Yankees fans fade into memory, MLB decided to immortalize it in the most crass way possible—by turning it into a commodity.

Selling memorabilia should honor the highlights and triumphs that make sports special. By putting this error ball up for auction, MLB didn’t just commodify failure; it capitalized on humiliation. What’s next, auctioning off the broken bat from a crucial strikeout? Perhaps the cleats a player slipped in during a game-changing play? This is a slippery slope, and it’s one the league has gleefully embraced under Manfred’s reign.

This isn’t even the first time MLB has turned an error ball into a cash grab. The most infamous example remains the ball that rolled through Boston Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner’s legs in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. That ball, autographed by Mets star Mookie Wilson, sold for an astounding $418,250 in 2012. But at least that ball had historical significance—a moment that defined a generation of heartbreak and triumph. The same cannot be said for Aaron Judge’s dropped fly ball.

The Dodgers, ever complicit, listed the ball as “Dropped Fly Ball by Aaron Judge” on their official auction site and made sure to note that Gerrit Cole was the pitcher during the at-bat. The description itself reeks of cynicism, as if rubbing salt into the wound for Yankees fans was part of the sales pitch. The ball started at a modest $100 but ballooned to over $43,000 by the time bidding closed.

To be clear, this isn’t about the fans who bid on the ball. People have the right to spend their money however they choose. This is about Major League Baseball’s inability to draw the line between celebrating the game and exploiting it. The sport’s leadership, spearheaded by Manfred, has repeatedly shown that they value profits over principles.

Rob Manfred has presided over countless controversies during his tenure, but this might just be the pettiest. It’s one thing to implement questionable rule changes or botch labor negotiations—it’s another to tarnish the integrity of the game by turning moments of failure into cash cows. Manfred’s tenure has been marked by a relentless drive to monetize every aspect of baseball, often at the expense of tradition and the fans who love the game. It’s time for him to go.

The ball should never have been up for auction in the first place. Selling it was a slap in the face to Yankees fans and an insult to the legacy of the World Series. What could have been a teachable moment about resilience or the unpredictable nature of baseball became yet another crass reminder of the league’s greed.

MLB has embarrassed itself yet again, and Rob Manfred’s fingerprints are all over this debacle. If the league wants to restore even a shred of dignity, it should start by apologizing to fans, rethinking its priorities, and finding new leadership. Baseball deserves better.

THE METS... AND THE YANKEES

I don’t hate the New York Mets.  I don’t consider them a true rival the way the Red Sox are to the Bronx Bombers.  I don’t see the anger and hate that the Royals and Yankees had in the late 70’s.  The Mets are simply the Mets.  They are the National League team in the City.  They have a great new ballpark (nicer than ours I’m afraid) and one hell of a young, talented pitching staff.  There, I’ve given them their due.  Right?  No?  I should go on like every “Baseball Expert”?  Nah, I’m done.  Thanks though.

It would seem, after sweeping the underachieving Nationals a few days ago, that the Metropolitans are the ONLY TEAM IN NEW YORK.  That other club that is in 1st place in the AL East…what do they have to be excited about?  Yes, they are in 1st place.  Yes, they just put up bigger numbers on their recent 10 game road trip than the income of some small countries…but so what?  The Mets are NEW YORK BASEBALL.  The Yankees? Well, that’s like rooting for Apple Computers.  The Mets are the heart and soul of the Big Apple…just ask their fans.

Fear not Bronx Faithful.  The NEW YORK YANKEES ARE THE TEAM OF THIS GREAT CITY…The Mets rent space.  The Mets are abysmally run.  The Wilpons are lousy at nearly everything they do.  That is NOT the Yankees fault.  The Mets ARE a big market team.  The Mets have Sandy Alderson at GM…he is fairly worthless too.  Met fans consider the Yankees a rival, because Met fans are much like the owner and GM in their front office.  I am tried of the hearing about the Mets and their false “Working Class Hero” mantra.  They are just not a well-run organization.  That’s it.  They could have a great season.  I wish them the best.  I don’t lose sleep about what happens in Queens.  I simply don’t care.

Seinfeld is a Mets fan…so is Kevin James.  Congrats.  I still don’t care.

What I do care about is the way the Mets and their fans present themselves.  You aren’t the Cubs.  You don’t have the charm of the Lovable Losers from Chicago’s North Side.  You aren’t the rag tag Phils of 1993.

You don’t look or play that way.  You’re not a team of destiny like the Red Sox of 2004.  You are just the Mets.  Your fans had given up on you until the recent trade and series against Bryce Harper.  Win the NL East! Or lose it!  You guys are more like Philadelphia Eagles’ fans than… PHILADELPHIA EAGLES FANS!!  They talk Super Bowl on the Saturday before the opening NFL game and then call for the coach’s head on the following Monday.  And they, like you, feel they DESERVE a winning team and title…you don’t and neither do they.

For the love of Mookie Wilson, get over yourselves!

As a Yankee fan I’m always told it’s easy for me to like my team.  I remind my foolish friends that I didn’t jump trains in the mid 80’s.

I’m a Yankee fan and will always be a Yankee fan, win or lose.  Sure, I want the Yanks to win every year.  That’s the culture the Yankees have developed since before I was born…it’s a good thing. To quote a recent Yankee, “If you compete, you want to win.” Maybe if the Met fans weren’t snarky, self-righteous Sorority girls they’d see its baseball…just baseball.  It’s a game to enjoy…not a “have and have not” social status argument and life crisis.

Congratulations to the 1st Place New York Mets and their fans.  (Takes off their collective Mets’ cap and tussles their hair as a big brother would.) Good for you, sport.

 ** Not my favorite song…but then again it’s for the New York Mets and…well,…**



 
--Mike O'Hara Senior "Features" Writer
Twitter: @mikeyoh21







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WHY PAUL O'NEILL BACKED THE YANKEE FAMILY

Darryl Strawberry was on with the Michael Kay show the other day and there was a very important question asked. Which team was better, the 1986 Mets who won 108 games in the regular season or the 1998 Yankees? Clearly, I’m biased. The 1998 Yankees were the greatest team I’ve ever seen in my opinion. 125 wins and they just never stopped. It was a terrific blend of talent, heart and guts and without a doubt in my mind, they were better. Darryl, who played for both teams chose the 1986 Mets. Read about it HERE.

Luckily for us, the Warrior, Paul O'Neill, who played on the 1998 team, had something to say about his 1998 team: “They were very good….The 1998 team had much more depth. We had a couple of World Series under our belt too. We were seasoned to that point. The 1986 Mets were just a great team. They won just one World Series, right?”

I tend to agree with Paulie on this. The Mets were a great team and any team that makes it to the World Series usually is, but we don’t know if the Mets would have won that World Series in 1986 because the Red Sox were damn good too. There was obviously a tremendous momentum swing when Bill Buckner missed that ground ball from Mookie Wilson to put the Mets ahead to win it that night. They then won the next game to become champions. There is no question, if Bill Buckner snagged that grounder, we’re not even talking about this comparison, so yes, while the Mets were a great team, there was 1 important detail that altered history and I believe in momentum which is why I bring it up.

Paul O’Neill took a stand today for all of Yankeeland and I love it. The guy may not know what Twitter is and he may not try to get involved with interviews and Facebook and all that jazz, but when he does speak, people listen and I’m glad he jumped out there and said something. For the record, Darryl Strawberry is allowed to say whatever team he wants to say, after all, he played for both and he knows the inner workings of both teams. He’s entitled. I tend to think that Straw’s opinion is based on that feeling he felt being so young and on a great team like that. By the time Darryl came to the Yankees, he was a veteran, he was put through hell and back with personal issues and by then, it was probably just a job not a love. That's what I think. That being said, The Yankees in 1998 were truly great and there’s no denying that.

I want to thank the good Lord for making me a Yankee… fan.

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