Earlier today, the Cubs Assistant Director of Communications, Kevin Saghy, announced on Twitter that he’d be leaving his post at Wrigley Field to become the Senior Director of Social Media at The Ohio State University.
We’ve dealt with Kevin a fair amount over the past few years, and that relationship has been nothing short wonderful. So while we’re sad to watch him go, we send him our congratulations and wish him the best of luck in his new job!
Here’s some news from around the league …
The Wall Street Journal dropped the troubling story of how MLB Advanced Media lead Bob Bowman was pushed out of the league following several allegations of general misconduct: “People familiar with the situation said Mr. Bowman verbally abused a co-worker in October, prompting Mr. Manfred to push him out, these people said. That was preceded by a July incident in which Mr. Bowman allegedly shoved an executive with the group that owns the Boston Red Sox.” And unfortunately, it doesn’t end there. Apparently, Bowman “engaged in a patter of behavior” including propositioning female colleagues, having consensual relationships with subordinate co-workers, and promoting a culture of partying and heavy drinking, including this unbelievable accusation:
Worse, this apparently wasn’t entirely unknown to those at MLB. In fact, it sounds like former Commissioner Bud Selig was well aware of the misconduct when he was still in charge, but had no interest in addressing it. “What he [Bowman] gave in heartburn was always overshadowed by what he gave in money,” one former high-ranking official said. Yuck. Through a spokesman, Selig declined to comment. You can read far more at the Wall Street Journal.
On a more baseball-specific front, the Dodgers ZiPS projections are out and their offense is still terrifying. Led by a three-headed monster of Cody Bellinger (134 wRC+), Justin Turner (126 wRC+), and Corey Seager (124 wRC+), the Dodgers have a total of nine offensive players projected to be above average at the plate, five of whom are projected to have a 114 wRC+ or better. WITH THAT SAID, that top trio (Bellinger, Turner, and Seager) are all projected to be quite a bit “worse” at the plate than they were last season. So keep that in mind.
In case you were wondering, yes, now that the Dodgers’ ZiPS projections have been released, we can take a closer look at Yu Darvish’s projections (free agents are projected on the team they just left for simplicity), which we will soon. Spoilers: He’s projected to be pretty darn good.
Be it the Marlins, the Mets, or otherwise, it seems we’ve been too often reminded lately how good Cubs fans have it with the Ricketts Family as owners. In the latest bit of head-scratching news, Mets’ owner Fred Wilpon – whose involvement in the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme has been used as a reason to financially cripple the team – is reportedly mad that the Yankees added Giancarlo Stanton. In fact, he’s apparently “pissed every time the Yankees make a move, and he always seems surprised.” Funnier yet, one source said Wilpon believes handing out big contracts is unsustainable and “keeps saying the Yankees can’t keep this model up.” Lol. I think they can, Fred.
But it’s not all funny owner nonsense up on the NL side of New York. He also seems to be one of those “hands-on” owners that every team totally needs:
Front office says “Nah, no thanks,” and you, the owner, respond with “Take them, anyway!” Yeah, that’s the sustainable model.
Oh, and speaking of the Marlins, Dee Gordon, who was the first player traded by the new ownership group, says that what has happened is embarrassing.
Although the issue of low Minor League pay has fallen out of the national conversation a bit lately, the problem persists. Essentially, despite working very hard and for many hours, Minor Leaguers are paid far less than the minimum wage because they’re classified – by some (and for now) – as “apprentices” or “interns.” Unfortunately for those players, Minor League Baseball President Pat O’ Conner agrees.
In fact, he seems to have a pretty cavalier attitude about minor league work, saying that being a Minor Leaguer isn’t a career choice, it’s just a stop gap, a “three-year” gig for most before they reach the Majors (despite the fact that just 10% of Minor Leaguers play in MLB and it usually takes far longer than three years). And on top of that, he characterizes their work days as mostly leisurely time filled with playing cards and eating sandwiches that he paid for. Not good.
Since it’s apparently been our job to ruin your Friday with sad baseball news, I have a little more for you: Legendary Padres broadcaster Dick Enberg has passed away. You can read the Padres official statement here., and watch this:
OK, one happy note to end on: the time Bo Jackson threw out a runner at third base from right field, standing completely flat-footed.