The Truth About the MLB All-Star Game

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1. It may have been a cowardly decision, but it was a rational decision.

   Manfred, above all else, wanted to avoid bad publicity. He understands that there are two different kinds of people: the majority of reasonable people who would hate the decision to move, would consider it a capitulation to political correctness and would complain to his coworker at the water cooler, but ultimately would go about his normal life; and the activist mob, which would protest and probably do violence and get continued and sympathetic coverage by the legacy media.

   We endured several months of our cities getting burned down while the legacy media called it “protest” or “mostly peaceful.” They approved of it because it was an effective tool in pushing the political change they wanted.

   Most people don’t want their businesses and livelihoods burned down or to be cancelled. MLB doesn’t. Better just to go along with it.

   It’s like being in an abusive relationship. You’ll tip toe around certain issues so your drunk husband doesn’t get angry and slap you around. Manfred didn’t want to get the Woke mob angry.

   Stopped watching the NBA after what they did to Daryl Morey. Was a lifelong Laker fan. Don’t miss it at all.

   The left admires China. Remember that.

2. 100 % agree with Mark’s post!

   1. Ditto!

3. I must say Mark, that the thought that the Braves getting the World Series was a fair outcome after getting screwed out of the All-Star game came to my mind. As unfortunate as our Dodgers situation was this year, it sure seems like a divine power intervened. Maybe the baseball Gods were not displeased at the Dodgers at all, but there were more interested in elevating the Braves and the Dodgers were a necessary sacrificial lamb along the way. It’s all so clear to me now.

   All of this nonsense with team name changes and banning the Tomahawk chop is just capitulating to troublemakers that are trying to destroy this country. NGO’s largely supply the cash to conduct these bogus studies and pay off a couple of tribes to support their narrative which weakens America from within by keeping people divided. Everything is staged and none of this is organic.

   I’m glad to see the Journal called this out. People are constantly being manipulated by Big Tech and the legacy media being told how to think, what to buy, what to watch, etc. Hopefully people will start waking up and fighting back against this.

   Happy Halloween!

4. I’ve been reading through some posts on other Dodgers sites like I normally do. The quality of some of these posts are far from acceptable. You really have to sift through a bunch of crap these days to find any meaningful information.

   Someone ranked the 8 Dodgers free agents and stated “Here’s where I would rank the most valuable free agents for the Dodgers this offseason.” They went on to list CK as 1 followed by CT3, Seager, Jansen, Scherzer, Knebel, Pujols and Nelson. I honestly can’t understand how anyone would rank CK above Scherzer in the here and now. The same goes for ranking CT3 over Seager. No one in their right mind would take CT3 before Seager. This idiot shouldn’t be allowed to write anything on the Internet with such ridiculous statements.

   Let me go ahead and fix this list for him.

   1 – Max Scherzer. With only two reliable starting pitchers on the staff to start the season, we definitely need pitching. The best pitcher among our own free agents is Max.

   2 – Corey Seager. He’s one of the best hitters available out of any free agent. If you sign him back, you really don’t need CT3 at all. Lux will be the odd man out and will take over CT3’s spot.

   3 – CT3 is only important if you can’t bring Seager back. That’s only if you choose not to replace that bat with one that can take over another position full time. You can certainly replace Seager’s bat with Kris Bryant and move Mookie to second base to make room for Bryant in RF. This is just an example of how we can replace Seager’s bat with one that’s better than Taylor’s.

   4 – Clayton – I have very mixed feelings about CK. But, I think he fits in well as the front half of Dustin May’s season. Keep your fingers crossed that he doesn’t break down until May is ready to return. He’s a Dodgers legend and I would hate to see him pitch in another uniform. Part of me wants him to retire, and part of me realizes that he’s still a damn good pitcher most of the time. I’ll continue to pray for the miracle that he’s somehow healthy and strong and will return to dominance for a few years at the end of his career putting a few injury filled years behind him.

   5, 6 and 7 are all bullpen arms and really none of them NEED to be resigned. We have a plethora of bullpen arms next year including a closer in Blake Treinen and a setup guy in Tommy Kahnle. But, if they need to be ranked, I would do it like this.

   Kenley – I’m a little more than luke warm on bringing him back. But, it’s hard to deny he’s the best of the bunch. He looks like he’s on the way back to returning to dominance. I have no problem bringing him back even though I will never think of him as “Game Over”. More like “Keep your fingers crossed”.

   Knebel – is ahead of Nelson on my list just because he seems to be a little more healthy.

   Nelson – I let him walk. I think he’s broken and not worth the risk. He sure was good when he was out there.

   Pujols – He had some nice moments, but in the end didn’t help us when we needed it most. I really don’t want him back under any circumstances.

   The other article that I thought was total bullcrap was “LA Could Pivot to Free Agent Outfielder Starling Marte Says MLB Insider”.

   What the hell is he thinking? The outfield already has 3 guys that are better than Starling so of course he suggests that Pollock gets traded in this scenario and Cody would no longer be the Center Fielder. What a crock of nonsense. Does this guy even consider we already have two leadoff hitters on this team?

   Speaking of leadoff hitters. I thought it was pretty stupid how the Dodgers handled that last year. It would have been one thing if Mookie was fully healthy, but with Mookie’s hip giving him trouble all year, Trea should have been in the leadoff spot with Seager or Mookie batting second or third.

   Anyways Mark, there’s a lot of crappy Dodgers content out there. There are just two examples from two different sites that were posted recently. You really need to save us from that by keeping this site going. Even the posts where you clearly phone it in are better than most of the other crap that’s out there. Hell, the comments section is better than the articles posted on other sites.

   1. B and P,
      I agree with what you have posted. Especially that Lux could step in and take over CTs role. I guess it will be a Domino effect, with Seager being the first Domino.
      Although I may be ‘left’ of many posters here, I think moving the All Star game just hurt the people of Atlanta who might have benefitted from the income

      1. “Although I may be ‘left’ of many posters here, I think moving the All Star game just hurt the people of Atlanta who might have benefited from the income”

         In complete agreement with you.

   2. Totally agree with that list BP. Makes solid sense to me. As for adding Marte, I think that meant to imply that if Seager walks, Turner moves to SS, they felt Muncy would move to second and they would move Bellinger to 1st.

      1. There’s better options out there when you already have 2 leadoff hitters is my point.

5. Mark, I appreciate you addressing the elephant sitting on sports over the last few years. I always enjoy reading J.D. and Bear’s insights as well and am glad I found this site this year. I likely share your political point of view, but that is irrelevant. Sports should be a venue of common ground and provide a means of escape from the difficulties we all face in life. I may intensely dislike the Giants, but can admire LaStrella playing through a severe Achilles injury. I hated the Celtics in my youth, but now greatly miss the fundamentals that in part made them so formidable. We may disagree on how best to construct the team, but we all agree we want the Dodgers to win. Unified through disagreement like Randy Quaid in Major League 2. This is one thing that used to make sports so great. Politics used to be a sport I enjoyed. We disagree on politics, but agree on the end game: what’s best for the nation and ALL of its people. This is no longer the case, unfortunately, for so many people. As for wokeness infecting sports, I hope you are right, Mark, thank you for the article.

6. 100% agree with Mark’s comments about Manfred and his weak management of MLB. Not only did he screw up the All Star game, he was an embarrassment on how he handled the cheating Astros when they were caught and cheated the Dodger’s out of a World Series win.

7. Dang, Mark. This might be the best column you have ever written for the site. I agree with you 100 percent!!! ☺

8. Spot on Mark!
   I too agree 100 percent.
   Manfred has fouled up the all star situation and the Astros cheating scandal completely.

   How the Astros were to keep their title and no player suspended is beyond believe.

   Go Dodgers!

9. No question Rob Manfred shouldn’t have gotten involved in changing the game from Atlanta to Denver, especially when it was about nothing more than whining by political knuckleheads. Bad look for baseball.

   But I agree if the Atlanta Braves win the World Series, it would be perfect payback. If they win tonight, will Atlanta fans boo the commissioner? They should. Who could blame them?

   Moving the all-star game was a big slap to Atlanta.

   Not to spend too much time on politics, but what Couric did was simply disgraceful journalism. Wonder why people don’t trust the media anymore? A prime example.

   I agree with BP, speculation on many baseball sites is like a Steve Martin concert, wild and crazy. Some of it simply makes no sense and seems pointless to actually write it. Most of it is written because there is not really much to write in terms of posting something on a daily basis. I read it, but most of it has no basis in reality, like the Starling Marte speculation. Outfield doesn’t look to he a problem moving forward. So the speculation is centered on moving AJ Pollock, one of the most productive hitters the Dodgers have.

   Again, makes no sense. Listening to Andrew Friedman, his focus seems to be on the starting rotation, re-signing the free agents they have and moving forward with an acquisition or two to finish off the bullpen. They can and will be picky in terms of which relievers they pursue because the pen of arms looks to be pretty good heading into 2022. Sorry, couldn’t resist.

   I also wouldn’t rank Chris Taylor as a must for the Dodgers to keep, although I agree the Dodgers need versatile players to add to the depth of the roster and Taylor did that very well. But the high rate of strikeouts is troubling, an all or nothing approach at times.

   I would like to see the Dodgers bring back Cory Knebel, but I’m guessing he will be somewhat costly. Nelson won’t cost much so I’m okay with that too. Pretty good when he’s healthy, just not able to finish a year at this point.

   This could play out all sorts of ways, moving parts everywhere. Will Bauer be suspended? Will the DH be approved? What will happen with Corey. If he goes, will the Dodgers use Lux at second, Turner at short, move Justin to DH and sign somebody like Kris Bryant to fill in at third in addition to playing some outfield too? Or someone with similar skills?

   Signing Scherzer will be costly and there is considerable risk, age and all. But he can be a difference maker. What about more rotation depth to allow for rest for their starters at times during the season to keep them fresh for the playoffs. Do the Dodgers need to restructure the line-up to get more consistency out of the offense. Or was what happened just baseball or was it approach? Obviously, something was missing.

10. I was one of those who got his angry post BANNED here ( about the All star game) while Mark was trying to keep this forum apolitical. Mark did send me a VERY gracious and considerate email telling me I was still welcome , but that he wanted to keep the forum politics-free. Mark finally decided (rightly so) to quit censoring HIMSELF and post EXACTLY what he believes on political issues. And why shouldn’t he? And I’ll say this too about Mark: a lot of the times I had major disagreement s with him on things, at the end of the day he was right.

    1. Maybe because this is suppose to be a baseball site? Besides, would you still agree with Mark’s change of mind if he were posting pro-left opinions?

       1. The point being that MLB injected politics into baseball, so it’s silly for fans to remain apolitical while we are BOMBARDED with politics and can’t even escape it at a baseball game. And Mark can post whatever he wants. IT’S HIS SITE.

          1. …even though he continually threatens/promises to go away :0)

             1. Maybe you could take it over??? :0)

             2. Having written scripts for M*A*S*H, WKRP in Cincinnati, Kate & Allie, Fantasy Island, etc., along with two motion pictures (ghosted), close to one-hundred short stories and two collections of poetry published (not to mention being on the editorial staff at Today’s Racing Digest and writing for the San Diego Union and the LA Times), I believe I would be extremely under-qualified. But I appreciate your heartfelt suggestion. :0) :0)

11. Maybe MLB should move the All Star game next year too. As soon as King Newsom avoided his recall he signed legislation to require ballots mailed to all registered voters. Since people that are here illegally are allowed and encouraged to get a drivers license and since everyone that gets a license is automatically registered to vote, ballots are mailed out to people that aren’t even citizens of this country.

    I say that’s too restrictive and not progressive enough. We need to mail out ballots to everyone in the world so they participate in our elections so we can be more inclusive than any other nation. I challenge all nations to have open elections in the same manner.

    Or maybe, we should all just vote like we do for the All-Star game. Setup a website and allow everyone to vote up to 30 times a day, no questions asked. I don’t see any problem with this.

12. Great post, Mark!
    Appreciate your opinions, and almost always agree with them.
    The hypocrisy of moving the All Star game from Atlanta, but playing 81 regular season and 10 postseason games there without comment or protest is amazing.
    Unfortunately, the Dodgers, including Dave Roberts and Mookie Betts, were very vocal about moving the all-star game. Even though they did not seem to know any details about the Georgia voting laws. I did not attend one Dodger game this year, mostly because of the political stances taken by Roberts and the Dodgers. And the Dodger season did ironically end in Atlanta this year.
    I sure wanted the Dodgers to win the World Series, but it was just not meant to be.
    Hopefully, the focus can be on baseball next year.

13. Thank you very much for the information and discussion, Mark. It is much needed. Athletes like Enes Kanter are doing God’s work but many more are needed. You can be sure I would bring his name up for discussion in my History and Government classes if I were still teaching.

    Unfortunately, most Americans are not familiar with the jaw-dropping story of those arrested on January 6, either. Unlike the social justice “protesters” who have occupied and destroyed property, these are truly “mostly peaceful” Americans who have been singled out and abused by the Leftists in the U.S. government. I was stunned to read this account yesterday, which I pared down for the sake of length:

    “Dear fellow Americans:

    I never thought I’d write a letter like this, but we’re living in very different times. This is my cry for help.

    My name is Nathan DeGrave, and as a non violent participant at the Jan 6th rally, I’ve spent the last 9 months detained as a political prisoner in pod C2B at the DC DOC…otherwise known as DC’s Gitmo.

    …DAILY LOCKDOWNS for 23-24 HOURS

    …EXTREME medical neglect

    …on at least five occasions, RAW SEWAGE has overflowed our unit, causing human fecal matter to flood the floors and rooms.

    …For breakfast this morning, I received a tray of flavorless paste, two slices of bread,
    and a slice of bologna. Lunches usually consist of rice and beans, but we’ll get cold chicken/beef patties if we are lucky. For dinner, we are sometimes fed a diet of cheese sandwiches, and bologna and cheese 4 to 5 times per week.

    …malnutrition and constant hunger

    …inmates are forced to either go unshaved, and grow long beards, or use a razor free cream that BURNS and IRRITATES the skin.
    Haircuts are also PROHIBITED from unvaccinated inmates.

    …I look VIRTUALLY UNRECOGNIZABLE

    …humiliating STRIP SEARCHES,

    …If it’s a legal visit, we are placed in a 14 day quarantine, with no out of cell time;

    …Visits with friends or family members, for unvaccinated inmates, are NEVER ALLOWED.

    …VIDEO VISITATION, while available to the rest of the jail, is RESTRICTED in the Jan 6 pod. Mail is delayed for MONTHS,

    …RELIGIOUS SERVICES, protected by the 1st amendment, are NOT provided to Jan 6ers. Neither are in person classes or other activities available to the rest of the jail.

    …Ryan Samsel, attempted to organize his own bible study inside the pod, until he was viciously BEATEN and LEFT FOR DEAD by correctional officers. He suffered a broken eye socket and brain damage as a result of the vicious attack. He’s now permanently blind in one eye.

    …we experience racism from many guards on a daily basis, being the ONLY WHITE REPUBLICANS in the entire jail.

    ….The guards are mostly liberal migrants from Africa who have been conditioned to hate us, and hate America. Jan 6ers have been mocked, beaten and ridiculed by guards for singing the National Anthem.

    …The surveillance footage shows absolutely no signs of assault, and despite attempts by media companies to get it released to the public, the government has denied it.

    …The only thing keeping us going is our undying patriotism, the camaraderie between one another and our faith in God.

    …As a result of this unlawful detainment the last 9 months, I have lost everything.

    If there’s anything you can do to help, I would appreciate anything at all.

    Sincerely and with love,

    Nathaniel DeGrave”

    1. The incarceration problem in the US is tragic and horrible.

       1. I knew some of these people were being held in solitary confinement. But I had no idea the conditions were like that. They treat death row inmates including serial killers better than that
          And I wouldn’t even compare the rest of the US prison population to what these people are going through
          What I’m curious about is where did you find this letter? Was it smuggled out?. Most prisons censor the mail coming in and going out
          Where is the ACLU when you really need them?

          1. https://www.worldtribune.com/risky-public-letter-by-jan-6-prisoner-nathaniel-degrave-exposes-shocking-conditions-in-american-gulag/

             1. Worldtribune.com today.
                Foxnews.com yesterday.

                Mark, representing all the quality news outlets!

                BUT! Major props for his mention of the unbelievably great Innocence Project below.

                They are doing great work.

       2. A few observations from someone who has lived in the belly of the beast and lived to tell the tale (7 years/5 month/5 days) and has no criminal record:

          1. Most “drug dealers” in prison are pathetic users, not dealers. They do not belong there. The kingpins do not get caught!
          2. There is no war on drugs. The war is over. Drugs won!
          3. There are a few people who are incarcerated who are innocent, but it is very few. The Innocence Project is doing God’s Work to help them! So are others! Support them.
          4. Many of the violent offenders are much worse than you can even imagine…. especially the younger ones. They would shoot you in the head 5 times while eating a Big Mac and not miss a bite.
          5. I have hired ex-inmates and ex-guards since 28 years ago when I walked out a free man. The guards are not to be trusted, but the inmates are dangerous. I have hired several and two whom I fired have threatened me when they get out again. Both violated their parole and are back inside. The DOC will not notify me when they get out, so I frequently carry a sidearm under my jacket, one in my back pocket and another in an ankle holster. I am not afraid, but I know what they are capable of and I am prepared! To date, I have never had to pull even one!

          As long as we think the problem is Police Brutality, it will never get better.

          P.S. You just got a preview of my upcoming book!

    2. I am all over this. I am going to get this out and contact my congressman.

       What happened in DC on January 6 is a disgrace, but the Biden DOJ, and Dem Politicians are making this much bigger story than the Rioters who did Billions of Dollars of Damage in many cities last summer. And… now we hear that the White House is trying to give $450,000 to each family member of Illegal Immigrants who were separated during the last Aministrations’ deportations. ILLEGAL!

       My wife and her family worked their asses off to come to America LEGALLY and now illegals are going to be paid millions? On what planet does this make ANY sense? The Lunatic Left is now running the Dem Party!

       1. Thank you Mark I will email my congressman as well

          I would think that the only one that could explain what’s going on in this crazy world of ours is Father Guido Sarducci

          1. I miss that guy. Him and Yakov Smirnov. America! What a country!

    3. RC – You play, you pay…Please pray for the folks who died there…
       P.S. Why didn’t you stay back and observe???

    4. Great points RC Ray.
       I support arresting and charging any protestors who fought and injured law enforcement on Jan 6th. But most of the 600 arrested on that day have been charged with “parading and demonstrating” at the Capitol. And many of those arrested have been placed in jail without bail, pretrial for minor alleged offenses. The Govt has also has been charging some with a “felony” for disrupting a Federal proceeding. Many of the so called criminals are forced to accept plea bargains because they are imprisoned, lost their jobs, and face huge legal fees to try to defend themselves for “parading” or “trespassing”.
       There have been numerous stories of the Federal govt sending in SWAT teams with machine guns to arrest grandparents with no criminal record in their lives. All to intimidate and threaten Jan 6 protestors.
       Julie Kelly has reported on many of these J6 cases for the website, American Greatness. Here is one article outlining the abuses of our Federal govt.

       https://amgreatness.com/2021/09/23/an-american-horror-story/

14. As long as the national past-time has the freedom to operate outside of the norms established for the vast majority of businesses due to being favored with the holy grail known as the antitrust exclusion, MLB will be a political creature. MLB must operate within the environment created by public opinion and political whim in order to avoid losing the protections the Antitrust Clause affords them. This is the reality of the situation and the ultimate question is not a liberal/ conservative issue or a left/right/centrist issue but a business issue that we as lovers of the game of baseball must recognize its importance.TThe national past-time can not operate without the protection of the Antitrust Clause without enormous adverse impacts which possibly could change MLB for the worst long term.

15. While we are at it, Bill Maher is one of my favorites:

    https://www.theblaze.com/news/bill-maher-covid-pandemic-over?utm_source=theblaze-dailyPM&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily-Newsletter__PM%202021-10-30&utm_term=ACTIVE%20LIST%20-%20TheBlaze%20Daily%20PM

16. As a veteran, and maybe I am alone on this, but I have always felt kneeling during the anthem was a slap in the face to all those who served and especially to those who paid the ultimate price for freedom. I relish my freedom. My right to think and believe and most of all, vocalize those beliefs. There is no right or wrong there. Just like opinions. It is simply what one believes. From what I see, the left want’s more control of your life and what you think. I could be wrong, but then again maybe I am not. To me, politics should have no say in sports. Sports is entertainment. It is also big business. I was in Munich when the terrorists kidnapped and killed 11 Israeli athletes. Politics invading the sports world with tragic consequences. When MLB moved the game to Denver, my first thought was this is idiotic. In a year where they are celebrating Hank Aaron, why move it to Denver, where Hank had no connection what so ever. To me if they were going to move it at all, it should have been in Milwaukee. So in the end, the baseball gods got it right, and they have been able to pay tribute to Hank in Atlanta during the World Series. And at this point, the Cheatos look like toast. Politics to me are a snakepit. There is at this point in time not one single politician out there who has my trust. Yesterday at the G20 summit, world leaders came to an agreement that they all endorse a world wide corporate tax. Watch the items you buy that are imported get more and more costly. Your government at work sticking the screws to you.

17. Jerry Remy former player and current Red Sox broadcaster passed away at the age of 68 from cancer. RIP Jerry.

18. Me gusta la combinación de poder, velocidad y buena defensa de Trevor Story, podría ser un gran 3B; No viene de su mejor año en la ofensiva, por lo que podría firmar por un año para recuperar su valor.
    Line up:
    SS T. Turner (Please don’t move him off the leadoff)
    RF Betts (healthy he will have a great year)
    CF Bellinger (healthy he will have a great year)
    3B Story (with a potential for 30-30)
    1B Muncy (Your second consecutive ASG is coming)
    C Smith (500 AB = 30 HR)
    LF Pollock / Outman (this combination in LF can make a 30-30)
    DH J Turner (the soul of the team)
    2B Lux (player with tools to be a very special 2b on both sides of the game, just be patient, he won’t fail. His focus changed when he was called in September, he no longer looks for HR like the philosophy of the Dodgers, that philosophy was affecting him, now he uses his skills better, he said: “I just want to be a nightmare, a stone in the shoe “, And that’s what he did in the last month and his results improved a lot, now he has the right approach according to his abilities. )

    1. Turner has a slightly higher average as a leadoff hitter, .301 to .298. But has performed better as a # 2 hitter .312. Even better in the 3 hole .350. Betts hit’s .307 in the second slot. Both are interchangeable, Betts is more comfortable leading off and he has said so. The 300 mil plus player who is going to be in LA for the next 11 years gets the nod over the guy who is going to be here one more unless he resigns.

       1. The reason I put Betts as second and maybe even third is that he is very intelligent with RISP, I like his cool blood in the big moments, you need to take advantage of that and put him in a position that finds runners on base, Lux and Turner they will get on base and Betts will have many more RBI than hitting as leadoff, also Betts is a team player, he is not a selfish player, he will always seek the best for the team.

          1. Mookie’s career numbers in the 3 hole are not that great. He hit’s .267 there. His best spot average wise is the 4 holes where he has a .309 mark. The thing is, you try to accommodate your stars and hit them where they are most comfortable and needed. Sure, Mookie would do the best thing for the team, and he is ok with hitting second. But he still is more productive and has been for a longer stretch of time out of the leadoff spot. And in all reality, you actually only lead off once. Betts has driven in over 100 runs out of the leadoff spot twice. Turner has never driven in more than 77 from that spot in any season he has played. So, your math does not compute.

       2. If Lux was already playing to his full potential these would be my first four:
          SS TT
          2B Lux
          RF Betts
          CF Bellinger
          But Lux is not there yet, that will be for the future, even this year, for the second part it could be there.
          Betts in the vast majority of his AB with RISP does something positive, at least one productive out.

19. I’m already thinking of Belli getting well, getting to know his baby and minimum workout sessions…
    Muncy getting rest and a full recovery…
    God willing, 2022 will be another season of Dodger baseball for me and another pennant run…
    As I projected before last season, I think the Madres will be our main nemesis in 2020, but to no avail by Sept..

20. Already loved this blog but after reading today’s post by MT, I love it even more.

    Thanks Mark.

21. Pujols got a walk off hit in his first at bat in the Dominican Winter League. Dodgers to decline Joe Kelly’s option. Will pay the buyout instead. Joc Pederson is not having a very good World Series. Hitting under .100. Looks like the Stros will send the series back to Houston. Up 8-5 late in the game.

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