JURICKSON PROFAR TESTED POSITIVE FOR PEDS....A SECOND TIME!

Here we go....again. The new face of cheating and stupid choices is Jurickson Profar after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs a SECOND time. So much for the "I would never willingly take a banned substance," speech he gave us in March of 2025 after accepting his 80 game suspension.

This is a real problem in Rob Manfred's world. Major League baseball officially announced a 162 game suspension for Profar. The Atlanta Braves now how to figure out how and when they add to their team now that Profar will not be a factor. Losing Profar is a big blow for Atlanta after a disappointing injury riddled 2025 season and then they had a very quiet winter. They were counting on Profar adding some stability to the lineup. In addition to missing the 2026 season, Profar will not be allowed to participate in the World Baseball Classic and represent the Netherlands. Play stupid games....win stupid prizes, Profar.

Testing once is bad, but this is now the second positive test in two years. It's a huge black mark to add to Manfred's already messy record. It's even uglier when Profar claimed he was innocent the first time around. Clearly, he hasn't learned anything or he's just too stupid to think he would never be caught again. It's bad enough we still have guys like Jenrry Mejia and Alex Rodriguez to talk about and remember.....but now we get one more moron to add to the list.

How much more of this do we have to endure in baseball? Seriously, it's frustrating to watch this continue to happen with just a slap on the wrist for Profar and the backing of the Players Association who are reportedly filing a grievance to challenge his suspension which is stupid. Profar doesn't need to be defended. He needs to admit he screwed up again, and take his punishment like a man. He was caught cheating twice. Years ago he was the top prospect in all of baseball, but obviously he couldn't make it on just his talents. This should not be overlooked, but this is Manfred's world so it will. 

I'm sick of this. All I keep hearing is "if he does it again he is banned for life!" and that's not the answer. We shouldn't accept that and make that a normal reaction. Guys like Profar ruin the integrity of the game and then fans like me get mad hearing about it after we see teams through stupid amounts of money to put them on their teams and play....which we also end up paying for in the grand scheme of things.

When it comes to cheating - it shouldn't be a "three strikes and you are out" ruling. This isn't a plate appearance. This is a bad choice in your job that is a massive character flaw. It's just a bigger mess in Manfred's circus and I am tired of it!

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

TONY CLARK IS OUT! NOW WHAT?

The upcoming Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) was already going to be dramatic....and now it's going to be extra dramatic. Everyone get ready to grab your popcorn, this one is going to be a doozy.

Players just reported to spring training in Arizona and Florida, so as focused as we are on a new season we are also questioning what is going to happen in nine months when the existing agreement expires? That's very much in the air now that Tony Clark the MLB Players Association Director is resigning, read more HERE. As Clark leaves, baseball is getting ready for it's most critical labor negotiation in years....and he won't be around to fight it.

This was going to be a very tough fight already, and now without Clark it gets harder. He's been instrumental to the players union. He's accomplished a lot over the last 13 years, including the steady increase in salaries to MLB players. He has been the most consistent and coherent voice for the players, and now the union will need to find a new voice.

The timing of this couldn't be worse. Without Clark, the union will fill this role soon. They will look to stabilize the union and get ready for what is to come over the winter. According to MLBtraderumors HERE, the next director could be Bruce Meyer who is currently the union's lead negotiator. He helped Tarik Skubal win his arbitration case against the Tigers and has been gaining support among the players to take over as the new director.

The last CBA negotiation was volatile enough that it resulted in a 99-day lockout led by commissioner Rob Manfred and the owners. This lockout will be even worse. Several owners are advocating for a salary cap, which has been a non-starter for Clark in the past. Now he isn't here to fight that battle, so right now owners have the upper hand. Meyer has also shared the same view as Clark, so if he does become the new director, it will be interesting to see if he is as successful in the role as Clark was.

The new CBA is going to have new player representation.....and it's going to be a very bumpy (and probably long) ride. I hope this lockout won't be as long as I think it will be, but I don't think we are talking about 99 days on this one. Stay tuned....

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

THE HALL OF FAME IS DEAD!

The news from yesterday has me sick. As soon as I saw the news I texted Casey because I was practically spitting bullets. I've had a few people tell me to get over it and stop talking about it but....I'm not gonna.

In case you didn't catch up on the baseball headlines yesterday Carlos Beltran was voted into the Hall of Fame. The sign stealing legend and head schemer of the 2017 Astros cheating scandal will become part of baseball's greatest honor.....let that sink in for a minute.

The man with no honor and integrity will forever be enshrined amongst the greatest names in the game. He's a disgrace to those who played the game with honor and passion like Derek Jeter. Jeter IS a hall of famer, Beltran is a horrible mistake with no honor. Will the Hall of Fame will ever be seen as a legitimate institution ever again? It's a fair question.

Beltran disgraced the game and should be shunned from baseball history just like Pete Rose was. Pete Rose, cheated OFF of the field and was banned from the sport and WAS ineligible for Hall of Fame consideration until May of 2025. He was made an example of. Nothing Rose did impacted the game during his playing time. He paid a high price that Beltran will never pay.

And you can't talk about scandals without talking about Shoeless Joe Jackson. He was banned from baseball in 1921 for his involvement in the "Black Sox Scandal," after he and some teammates conspired with gamblers to intentionally lose the 1919 World Series. He was permanently banned by newly appointed MLB Commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, to preserve the integrity of the game.....imagine that. Jackson cheated as a player and was held accountable. This is not the world we live in anymore.

However here we are a century later and Beltran cheated ON the field and has no consequences. He wasn't banned, weak pansy Rob Manfred protected him! The integrity that previous MLB commissioners fought to preserve has vanished. Two years after the scandal, Beltran was rewarded with a manager job for the Mets and just over two months later is removed from that role....all thanks to his involvement in the cheating scandal. He wasn't honorable enough to manager, but now he is honored by being inducted into the Hall of Fame? It's asinine.

So now that the writers have voted Beltran in, they have set a precedence that integrity doesn't matter. Honor can be lost and you can still be rewarded with a place in baseball history. Now let's just add Manny Ramirez, Jose Canseco and Alex Rodriguez to the inductee list! I don't care WHAT form of cheating it is. I don't care if you think it's not the same....it's still a disgrace to the game. One disgrace is not "less" than another. Greats belong in the Hall of Fame, not just great stats but also great stewards of the game itself and with good character.

So Beltran may be feeling himself right now. He may be standing tall but being in the hall doesn't erase history, and Beltran will always be known as the architect of a massive and blatant cheating scheme. He brought disgrace to the game and that should NOT be rewarded for that by getting a place amongst the true greats of this game. 

That's just my two cents. Agree with it or not, it doesn't matter to me. Integrity over anything else.....period.
The Hall of Fame is now tainted. It is DEAD. I will never look at it the same again.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

MANFRED GETS HIS WISH: THE ROBOT UMPIRE ERA BEGINS!

We've been talking about Robot umpires since 2019 at Bleeding Yankee Blue....and now it is finally happening. Robot umpires are getting a call up to the big leagues next season. Rob Manfred's newest Frankenstein experiment is finally coming to fruition.

So love it or hate it, it doesn't matter you better start wrapping your head around it. Yesterday, MLB's 11-man competition committee that was created in the last Collective Bargaining Agreement approved the use of ABS, also known as the Automated Ball / Strike system. MLB started testing it in the minor league systems back in 2019 and it has expanded throughout the system over the last few years. Now it is graduating to the big leagues. The 11-man committee that voted on this comprised of six owners, four active players and one active umpire. One of the four active players on the committee was our own Austin Slater.

So how does it work, exactly? Stadiums will have cameras that track each pitch and judge whether it crossed home plate within the strike zone. The strike zone will stay the same, so don't freak out about changes. The height of every player will be measured in Spring Training to determine their individual strike zone and to eliminate any confusion, the strike zone we all see on our television broadcasts will be the official ABS strike zone. Now you can play umpire (more than you already do) and you won't have a different vantage point as we do right now. That's refreshing.

At first, it sounded techy and maybe a little confusing but it could be a game changer. Each team gets two challenges per game (note: a team retains its challenge if it is successful), plus one in each extra inning if they have used their challenges. Only a batter, pitcher or catcher may challenge a call, signaling with the tap of a helmet or cap and help from the dugout is not allowed. A challenge must be made within 2 seconds, and the graphic of the pitch and strike zone is shown on the scoreboard and broadcast feed. The umpire then announces the decision.

This will be MLB’s first major rule change since making adjustments in 2024. Previous changes included a pitch clock, larger bases, and restrictions on defensive shifts and pitcher disengagements like pickoff attempts. Those changes I wasn't a fan of, I'm still not but the ABS strike zone wins me over the more and more I write about it. Oh and the more I have to watch terrible calls made by C.B. Bucknor and Dan Iassogna the more I want to see ABS in action.

Of there's one other reason I am warming to this idea....it should cut down on ejections. MLB said over 60% of ejections among players, managers and coaches last year were related to arguing balls and strikes. This stat includes ejections for derogatory comments, throwing equipment while protesting calls and inappropriate conduct. 

So that means we should see less of Aaron Boone throwing temper tantrums on the field. If you are making a pro and con list that should make you happy. I'm tired of watching his circus act on the field and bad umpiring. I guess I am turning a new leaf, are you?

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj

ROB MANFRED DROPS HIS BIGGEST UPDATE YET!

Just when I think I can't possibly dislike Rob Manfred anymore than I already do, he proves me wrong. 
There's two things he's exceptionally good at, getting under my skin and fundamentally destroying the game of baseball in hopes to revitalize it.

So in case you have been living under a rock lately, Manfred wants an MLB expansion before he retires in hopes to "Geographically realign" the divisions based on closer proximity. You can read more of the details HERE. Yup, his ideas just get more and more brain dead.

Manfred's big announcement came Sunday night during ESPN's broadcast of the MLB Little League classic, and then sent all baseball purists heads spinning. This idea is without a doubt one of the biggest shake-ups in history and the long-standing American League and National League format that we've had for more than 100 years would cease to exist.

Looking at the map above, some divisions become incredibly boring, it would be like watching wet paint dry. The western divisions in particular are as dull as you can get. I'm not tuning into the Diamondbacks, A's (even in their eventual new home), PORTLAND, and Seattle OR Houston cheating Astros, Rangers, Royals or Rockies....that's a nap waiting to happen. Looking at the Eastern conference, assuming NASHVILLE is an expansion team that division could be an easy no effort win for the Braves if Nashville isn't a competitive team. The Phillies, Yankees, Mets and Boston just feels unfair. It's ridiculous.

Again, that's assuming Nashville and Portland are the two expansion teams. I can see Nashville, but I don't see Portland at all. If any state out west is getting a new team it would be Utah. Of course, without them getting a hockey team I'd never pick that either but that is a market that Manfred should be looking to tap into more than Portland.

Of course, Manfred didn't commit to anything or even say the map above is what is on the table but no matter where MLB expands, I could see Manfred looking to use an Eastern and Western Conference format similar to the one in the NBA or NHL, with 16 teams in each conference.

Manfred said he thinks this realignment would "save a lot of wear and tear on players in terms of travel" and "postseason format would be even more appealing for entities like ESPN because you'd be playing up out of the East and out of the West." I don't see it that way. The wear and tear experienced is more involved than just the travel aspect.

I don't personally think MLB needs to expand. We have plenty of teams as it is, so the number of teams is not driving expansion. Money is what is driving expansion. We all know television markets and the price new franchises will pay to join. It has nothing to do with the quality of the game.

Manfred doesn't care about us even though he wants more of us to watch baseball. This is all about legacy and being the guy that adds billions of dollars into the game before he's gone. He's gonna build a legacy alright.....it's just not the good one he thinks it is.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

MANFRED'S NEXT BIG CHANGE IS COMING....

Will Rob Manfred's next change kill baseball as we know it? That was the talk around the office today. I surprisedly heard more "YES" answers than I was expecting, so I am a little shocked by it as I am digesting all of this. Baseball certainly has changed over Manfred's tenure....but has the baseball enthusiast changed also?

The next big change if Manfred gets his way will be the use of an automated ball and strike zone in baseball starting in 2026. Yup, next season, you can check out the details HERE. We briefly talked about this three years ago in RUMOR: ROBOTS ARE COMING TO A MLB STADIUM NEAR YOU and back then it felt like a horrible idea, and like a long term goal. Well, maybe it isn't AS horrible of an idea and it's almost here.

I'll admit, three years ago I hated the idea. Now, I am not so sure. We all watch games today and it's "normal" to see a terrible call made by an umpire (here's looking at you C.B. Bucknor) and this kind of normal just isn't good for the game. There's a human element to the game, but they shouldn't be wrong this often and they shouldn't be allowed to get away with it. Where's the accountability? It doesn't exist.

So, here we are. Manfred has his sights set on making this change, his biggest change of his tenure next Spring. This change comes at a VERY interesting time. The Competition Committee was created in the latest Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that consists of six owners, four players and one umpire so his Automated Ball Strike zone (ABS) will have little to no opposition to stop this from becoming a reality at least for next year because players won't have enough power to stop it. However, the current CBA expires December 1, 2026 so if this experiment is a disaster we could have another lockout situation.

The players could make this sticky, so Manfred is going to put on his best politician bullshit voice to try and smooth it over. He's already practicing. "My single biggest concern is working through the process and deploying it in a way that's acceptable to the players," Manfred said. "There's always going to be things around the edges that we need to work through and whatever, and I want them to feel like we respected the committee process and that there was a full airing of concerns about the system, and an attempt to address those concerns before we go forward."

I really don't like or trust Manfred. A commissioner's interests always align with the owners, otherwise he wouldn't have a job he'd be fired. So his concern isn't the players accepting it....his concerns is trying to persuade players just like a corrupt politician. He's just full of crap and full of himself.

So this will be interesting. Honestly, I really have lost all patience with incompetent umpires so would it be so bad if there were less of them? 

One of my coworkers said today this was "proof nothing can stop AI from taking over." Then I guess we could credit AI for eliminating some of Aaron Boone's temper tantrums that lead him to be ejected.... maybe. That would be a change to the Yankees game for sure. Food for thought... I'll be watching this headline closely.

How do you feel about an Automated Ball Strike zone? Tell us.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

A LOOK AT BASEBALL HISTORY - THE TORPEDO BAT IS THE NEW BOTTLE BAT!

Okay, seriously am I the only one who isn't all fired up about this darn Torpedo bat? I'm of the mindset that the bat isn't magical and the hitter still has to do their job. This Torpedo bat is the new issue that just makes everyone hot blooded and crazy. It just shouldn't be, this isn't a new concept.

We are so accustomed to the traditional baseball bat, so I get that some baseball purists strongly oppose this bat. I can understand the traditional spirit at heart considering I can relate to a lot of that. However, since Rob Manfred took the reigns as MLB Commissioner, he has made it clear that he is looking to change the game and make it more appealing to younger audiences. He's made some stupid rule changes that the purist side in me hates. I hate the pitch clock; I hate the elimination of the shift, and I especially hate the rule of a runner starting at second in extra innings. I hate that more than ANY of his stupid rule changes.

But no matter how much I have hated it, or any of you reading this have hated it Manfred does what Manfred wants. That goes double for these Torpedo bats. This "new" Torpedo Bat isn't really a revolutionary concept....and it isn't illegal either, even though some call it cheating.

Check it out for yourself HERE MLB rule 3.02 The Bat:
"The bat shall be a smooth, round stick not more than 2.61 inches in diameter at the thickest part and not more than 42 inches in length. The bat shall be one piece of solid wood."

As long as the dimensions of the bat meet the rule above.... it's legal. Every single MLB team can use these bats. It just so happens the Yankees have several guys using them, so it becomes a hot topic especially after the series with the Brewers. Jazz Chisholm Jr didn't magically hit his home runs thanks only to his bat. By the way, those bats haven't helped against the Diamondbacks. There is no unfair advantage here, we saw the typical Yankees so far in five games.... they are all or nothing.

So yeah, everyone wants to talk about the Torpedo bats now, but these aren't revolutionary bats. When I was little growing up, I used to hear my uncle tell me stories about Heinie Manush and his infamous "bottle bat" back in the 1930's. I remember he talked about how Manush had a magical bat. It wasn't magical because he hit tons of home runs like Aaron Judge (who isn't using a Torpedo bat). His career best was 14 home runs in a season, but he could hit. He does what the Yankees don't do now, which is hit for average, and he did it consistently until the last couple years of his career.

This bat is just customized to each hitter and I don't think that is a bad thing or a cheating thing. The standard swell of a bat doesn't work for everyone so having more wood in the barrel shifted closer to the hands can also reduce weight which will help players time their swing better. It's purely a customization and one that EVERY MLB TEAM CAN CHOOSE TO USE.

I can appreciate some fans passion. I get it, I have had plenty of issues with some of Manfred's changes but I am okay with this bat. This isn't a corked bat or an aluminum one for crying out loud. At the end of the day you still gotta see the ball and make contact. We've seen the Yankees are still the flawed Yankees with or without it. It's not all about the bat, folks......

The Torpedo bat is the new Bottle bat...and it may be here to stay.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

TREVOR BAUER'S AGENT SLAMS THE MLB OVER BAUER'S BLACKBALL

Trevor Bauer is an elite pitcher, plain and simple. A Cy Young winner, a dominant force on the mound, and a player who should be in the majors right now. But let’s be clear—this wasn’t about justice, integrity, or anything MLB claims to stand for. This was a personal hit job. Rob Manfred and his pathetic circle of cronies should be ashamed of themselves. They didn’t punish Bauer because of some grand moral stance—they punished him because he had the audacity to call out their incompetence.

MLB has made one thing clear: if you’re a "controversial" player who speaks your mind, you’ll get the hammer. If you stay quiet, take your punishment, and wait for your turn, you’ll get a slap on the wrist. That’s the game. And Bauer refused to play along and I respect the way Bauer is. He’s loud, he’s opinionated, and—most importantly—he’s right. That’s why he’s still blackballed.

Let’s break this down. Bauer was accused of domestic violence, but never faced criminal charges. Despite that, he was hit with the longest non-lifetime suspension in MLB history—324 games, two full seasons, without pay. 

Meanwhile, let’s talk about Julio Urías. Urías was arrested in 2019 on suspicion of domestic battery. His punishment? A measly 20-game suspension. Then, in 2023, Urías was once again accused of assaulting his partner. His punishment? He’ll be back in MLB by July 2025, free to sign with any team.

So, let’s get this straight—Bauer, who was never convicted, gets effectively erased from baseball, while Urías, a repeat offender, gets a clear path back? What an absolute joke.

Rachel Luba, Bauer’s agent, wasn’t having any of it. When news broke of Urías', she took to social media and said exactly what needed to be said: "A clear example that this was ALWAYS personal." And she’s 100% right. This was never about enforcing fair punishment. This was about sending a message: challenge Rob Manfred and his weak leadership, and you’ll be erased.

MLB’s handling of Bauer is not just unfair—it’s corrupt. Bauer served his time for something that was never even proven, while others get a free pass because they know how to play the game behind the scenes. It’s disgraceful.

Trevor Bauer should be on an MLB roster. The fact that it had nothing to do with justice and everything to do with a cowardly commissioner who can’t handle criticism. Rob Manfred and his MLB cronies have turned the league into a joke. And everyone paying attention knows it.

MANFRED STINKS... WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?

I’ve been ranting about Rob Manfred for ages, and frankly, I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. The guy is reshaping baseball in ways that make purists want to rip their hair out. But does he care? Absolutely not. He knows baseball is America’s pastime, and as long as fans keep shelling out cash for tickets and merch, he can ignore the noise.

And speaking of greed—I can’t stand it. I don’t love when athletes start demanding insane contracts, like Juan Soto asking for nearly a billion dollars. It changes people. They forget why they picked up a bat in the first place. But at the same time, I respect it. You have to know your worth. The problem is, the entire salary system has spiraled into absolute absurdity. But I digress.

Back to torching Manfred—ugh.

So now, Manfred is dropping hints about another lockout. He thinks of it as a "necessary tool" to keep negotiations moving without ruining the regular season. His reasoning? Players don’t get paid in the offseason, so it’s "not painful."

Well, that take did not sit well with the players’ union.

Tony Clark wasted no time shutting that down, making it clear that the only people pushing for a lockout are Manfred and his cronies. Instead, he emphasized the importance of negotiating in "good faith," which, by law, means actually trying to reach a deal—not just flexing power moves.

“Unless I am mistaken, the league has come out and said there’s going to be a work stoppage,” Clark said after meeting with the San Francisco Giants players at Scottsdale Stadium. “So, I don’t think I’m speaking out of school in that regard.”

Clark’s frustration is based on Manfred’s own words, including comments he made to The Athletic in January, suggesting that offseason lockouts aren’t necessarily a bad thing. If you read Marc Normandin—who I do—you’ll see he wasn’t buying that nonsense:

“Manfred, if you’ll recall, talked about the usefulness of a lockout to getting the conversation going and forcing bargaining to happen. Which is a lie, of course, especially when, at the time of the comments, the league and PA were over a year from even beginning their negotiations in earnest. If the league wants to bargain, then they can just do that—they don’t need to wait until the existing CBA has expired so they can lock the players out and force the issue. Maybe they’ve forgotten as much, though, since they very intentionally avoided taking bargaining seriously in 2021 until the CBA had expired and they could enact their plan of a lockout, as they attempted to force the players to take a bad deal while the clock ticked away the days until the season was supposed to open.”

Manfred’s latest comments bring back unpleasant memories of the infamous 2021 lockout—a 99-day disaster, the longest in MLB history. It delayed Opening Day, wiped out nearly 100 spring training games, and left players fuming as they fought for higher minimum salaries and fairer revenue-sharing. The major sticking points? Expanded playoffs and the competitive balance tax.

Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa captured the whole mess perfectly back then: “I really don't want to think about the possibility of a lockout but...I believe CBA talks were going to go sideways anyway, so this only makes it worse. The players were already frustrated with Manfred unilaterally deciding how to handle last season due to the pandemic, so if 2022 Spring Training starts on time, it will be a miracle.”

And that’s the crux of the problem—Manfred and the players are never on the same page. Not even close. And that’s a huge issue. Right now, I have to side with Tony Clark and the players. Manfred talks like he’s just making neutral observations but come on—we all know exactly what he’s saying.

Marc Normandin put it best: “Rob Manfred wants to pretend he didn’t say the things he said, but hey, guess what.”

Why are we still stuck with this guy as commissioner?

Like This? READ THIS: 

THE PLAYER'S REBELLION AGAINST ROB MANFRED IN FULL SWING!

SPINELESS MANFRED MAY FINALLY DO WHAT HE SHOULD HAVE DONE WHEN ROSE WAS ALIVE

Pete Rose was a baseball player unlike any other—a man whose grit, passion, and relentless work ethic turned him into the greatest hitter the game has ever seen. The numbers don’t lie: 4,256 hits, an MVP award, three batting titles, and three World Series championships. He was the heart and soul of the Cincinnati Reds' Big Red Machine, a dynasty that dominated the 1970s. Rose played with an intensity that set him apart, diving headfirst into bases, refusing to take a play off, and inspiring a generation of baseball fans, myself included.

I grew up in Lexington, Kentucky, and like so many others, I fell in love with Pete Rose and the way he played the game. He wasn't just another player; he was the embodiment of everything baseball was supposed to be—gritty, relentless, passionate. It wasn’t until I moved to New Jersey in 1978 and witnessed Ron Guidry’s 18-strikeout masterpiece that I found my team in the Yankees, but my admiration for Rose never wavered. He was still the player I idolized, the player who made me believe in baseball.

And yet, despite everything he gave to the game, despite all the records he shattered, Major League Baseball turned its back on him.

Let’s be clear—Pete Rose made mistakes. He gambled on baseball, a violation of one of the sport’s cardinal rules. But he never did anything to diminish his effort or his performance on the field. And for that, he was banished from the sport he helped define, denied the one honor he undoubtedly deserved—a place in the Hall of Fame.

For years, he sought redemption. He acknowledged his wrongdoing. He served his time. He waited for baseball to come to its senses. But Rob Manfred, the commissioner who has done more to damage Major League Baseball than any man before him, refused to reinstate Rose while he was alive. Manfred, in all his cowardice, dodged the responsibility, claiming he would “mull it over” but never actually doing a damn thing. It wasn’t until the President of the United States suggested pardoning Rose that articles even started to circulate about Manfred reconsidering. And now, Pete Rose is gone. Dead. Probably of a broken heart, after being cast aside by the very game he gave everything to.

And now, after years of ignoring Rose, Manfred is supposedly considering lifting his ban posthumously. What a gutless, empty gesture. It would have meant something if they had done it when he was alive, when he could have maybe one day stood on that stage in Cooperstown and received the honor he fought for his entire life. But now? Now it’s just another example of baseball’s spineless leadership under Manfred.  But here's the worst part of reinstating Rose. Even if he is reinstated by Manfred, the baseball writers, who let guys in like Harold Baines before they'd ever let in Alex Rodriguez would cockblock Rose for as long as they were alive.  In other words, while perhaps we are moving in the right direction, there are too many stop gaps to continue to prevent Rose to head to his natural destination... Cooperstown.  It's a wicked web and all those a-holes are in on it.

Look at the facts: Pete Rose is the all-time hits leader. He played harder than anyone before or after him. He made baseball better. And yet, there are idiots like Patrick Sauer of the Washington Post trying to rewrite history, suggesting that Ichiro Suzuki is the real hit king. No disrespect to Ichiro—his accomplishments in Japan and the MLB are remarkable—but Pete Rose’s record stands above all in the MAJOR LEAGUES. It’s 4,256. That’s the number. That’s the legacy. That’s what matters.

Was he a perfect man? No. But neither were countless other Hall of Famers. The Hall isn’t about moral perfection; it’s about baseball greatness. And Pete Rose was greatness incarnate.

MLB had a chance to do the right thing. They failed. And now, they’re trying to make up for it after the fact. Too little, too late. But for those of us who grew up watching him, who saw the passion, the determination, the sheer love of the game—Pete Rose will always be a Hall of Famer, no matter what some spineless commissioner says.

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.

ROB MANFRED JUST SUCKS

Rob Manfred has officially lost the plot.

Baseball, the greatest game in the world, does not need gimmicks. It never has, and it never will. Yet here comes Manfred, tinkering with the sport like a toddler who just found his dad’s tools and wants to "fix" a car that runs perfectly fine. Every new rule he pushes feels like another bad idea he brainstormed while binge-watching TikToks. And now, he’s floating the most absurd idea yet: the Golden At-Bat.

What is this nonsense? Manfred described it as letting your best player bat out of order in a clutch moment. Yeah, because nothing says "integrity of the game" like ripping up the lineup card and saying, “Who needs rules?” This isn’t baseball; it’s playground chaos. It’s beer league softball with a commissioner who thinks he’s reinventing the wheel. Spoiler alert, Rob: baseball doesn’t need reinvention.

This “Golden At-Bat” is so dumb it feels like an SNL skit. Imagine you’re a pitcher who just struck out Shohei Ohtani with the bases loaded—clutch, right? Not under Manfred’s circus rules! The manager waves a magic wand, and, bam, Ohtani’s back at the plate. Even Roger Clemens chimed in, tweeting, “You strike him out, then they can just use this rule to let him stay up?” That’s not strategy; that’s a WWE storyline.

What’s worse is Manfred might have got this idea from the Savannah Bananas, an exhibition team that’s basically the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball. Listen, the Bananas are great—for TikTok. But MLB is supposed to be, oh I don’t know, a professional sport with rules and integrity. What’s next, Rob? A mid-game dance-off? A rule where Aaron Judge can count as two players because he’s tall?

And let’s talk about Manfred’s other “innovations. The ghost runner in extra innings? Who asked for that? Not me. The pitch clock? Okay, we get it, you think games are too long and perhaps this is the only thing I do like these days. It doesn't bother me. But come on, Rob, baseball doesn’t need a gimmicky glow-up; it’s already perfect.

Manfred doesn’t seem to grasp that the beauty of baseball is its unpredictability. Sometimes, the No. 9 hitter comes up with the game on the line and delivers a moment that makes fans lose their minds. That’s the magic. That’s what makes baseball, baseball. Not some contrived moment where you hand the bat to your best player like it’s Little League.

And don’t even get me started on his excuse about “modernizing the game” and “getting traditionalists on board.” Rob, we’re not old timers still using typewriters. We’re baseball fans who understand that this sport doesn’t need your meddling.

Here’s the truth: Manfred is tinkering with the Mona Lisa because he thinks it needs jazz hands. Baseball isn’t broken—it’s you, Rob. Stop trying to turn this sport into a soulless algorithm designed for people who don’t even watch the games. Leave baseball alone.

If you want to improve something, maybe start with your legacy. Right now, it’s going to be, “The guy who gave us the ghost runner, the pitch clock, and whatever this Golden At-Bat garbage is.” That’s not modernization, Rob—it’s vandalism and it's disgusting.