Worth a Read & Fast Thoughts
Some excellent baseball writing to spend some time with.
Rather than focus on my own writing today, I’m going to try something different and use this newsletter to pass along a few terrific baseball pieces I recently read. Then, further down the page, are a few quick thoughts on some various happenings around baseball. Take a look! - GP
Worth a Read
‘I’m meant to be alive’: How Drew Robinson is learning to live
By ESPN’s Jeff Passan
Warning: this story deals with sensitive subjects like suicide and depression. Parts are detailed and graphic. But as difficult as it was to read at times, it is an incredibly moving piece that shines a much-needed light on mental health in baseball, sports and society.
Five women accuse Mickey Callaway of lewd behavior: ‘He was completely unrelenting’
By The Athletic’s Brittany Ghiroli and Katie Strang
Another story alleging that a baseball man in a position of power harassed women who were simply trying to do their jobs. Callaway’s behavior spanned multiple teams, cities and years, but, following the Jared Porter story, his connection to Sandy Alderson and the Mets has drawn more unwanted attention to that franchise. Callaway is currently the Angels’ pitching coach – for now.
Henry ‘Hank’ Aaron is dead, but his life’s story is already at risk
By the New York Daily News’ Bradford William Davis
This piece is a few days older than the ones above, but it’s just as important. Following Hank Aaron’s death, some minimized the pain and racism he endured because he didn’t come across as angry. But, as the author notes, “A stoic response was not a virtue, but a survival skill.”
Fast Thoughts
The Rockies have had a bumpy few days, set in motion by the trade that sent Nolan Arenado to the Cardinals. Colorado didn’t just ship the generational, homegrown talent to St. Louis, though. The Rockies also sent $51 million to the Cards so that their best player could play somewhere else. And COL didn’t even get a good package of prospects in return… The Rockies then put on a dysfunctional press conference on Tuesday. Among the highlights: owner Dick Monfort wondered if he should fire himself and suggested a reporter would like it if he sold the team.
Unsure about what’s going with MLB and the MLBPA regarding the CBA and the start of the season? Here’s a good Twitter thread explaining the situation and why the players are not engaging. There is a lot of distrust between the players and the owners/league, and it’s only been growing over the last few years. A work stoppage following the expiration of the current CBA (Dec. 1) would be far from surprising.
Fernando Tatís Jr. is going to be on the cover of MLB The Show 21. Awesome news. As I wrote during the playoffs, the Padres shortstop is the perfect star for this moment in baseball history, and he didn’t shy away from the reasons why in the game’s trailer:
Speaking of stars, Ken Griffey Jr. is back in baseball. The Kid joined the league office as a “Sr. Advisor to the Commissioner with an emphasis on baseball operations, youth development and improving diversity at all levels of the game.” A great move, as few have looked cooler playing baseball than Griffey Jr. MLB also made some other hires that add diversity to the league office:
Finally, Shakeia Taylor is trying to connect aspiring baseball writers from underrepresented communities with mentors. If that’s you, reach out and/or check out the replies to this tweet!
Gary Phillips is a reporter, writer and editor for hire. He has written for The Athletic, The New York Times, Sporting News, USA Today Sports, Bleacher Report and Yankees Magazine, among others. He can be reached at garyhphillips@outlook.com.