⚾ What’s Inside This Week:

• Time 2 to sell the Rockies?

• A record you didn’t know existed (until now)

• A quote so bad, it belongs in a museum

• And a final story you’ll definitely tell someone at a bar

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🔥 First Pitch

Happy Saturday. Hope your week wasn’t as bleak as the Rockies’ playoff odds. (Yeah, too easy. Couldn’t resist.)

Let’s talk dysfunction—Rockies style.

Co-owner Charlie Monfort opened up to The Denver Post this week about two things: his battle with alcohol… and the flaming wreck that is his ball club.

“Every time I see that team and how it’s doing, it makes me want to cry,” he said.

Rockies fans: Same, Charlie. Same.

He added that the team needs “a new set of eyeballs… someone who knows baseball and has lived and breathed baseball.”

You think?

Since the Monforts bought in, the team’s made five playoff appearances in 32 years. Just nine winning seasons. This year’s squad? Historically awful—and we saw the 2024 White Sox.

Now, credit to Charlie for publicly sharing his sobriety fight. That takes guts. Respect.

But when it comes to baseball ops? You don’t need fresh eyes.
You need a For Sale sign.

The Rockies are valued at $1.5 billion. You paid $95 million.
Cash out. Walk away. Let someone else fix it.

Instead? Charlie’s nephew, Walker just got promoted to Executive VP.
Because what this franchise needed was another Monfort.

On to the…Good, Bad & Ugly. ⚾️

The Good:

💥 Jacob Misiorowski – New Sheriff in Town?

We all remember how Paul Skenes took baseball by storm in 2024.

The 2025 sequel? Meet Jacob Misiorowski—throwing gas, taking names, and making hitters look foolish.

In his first three starts, he’s debuted with 11 straight no-hit innings and routinely hits 100+.

This week? He went toe-to-toe with Skenes… and won.

Buckle up. This rivalry might just define the next decade.

The Bad:

😬 Those Bucs – Pittsburgh Pirates

Paul Skenes is everything you want in an ace—2024 Rookie of the Year, All-Star, Cy Young candidate.

Fast-forward to 2025: same dominance (2.12 ERA, 110 K’s)… and a 4–7 record.

Why? Because the Pirates’ bats have been deader than a VHS rewind—dead last in MLB scoring. Zero support.

Just wasted brilliance every fifth day.

🤢 The Ugly:

Cruelty in Chicago

Baseball is often a beautiful escape from the chaos of the world. But on Tuesday at Guaranteed Rate Field, that line was crossed.

A fan hurled vile remarks at Arizona’s Ketel Marte—targeting his late mother. Marte tried to stay composed.

But during a pitching change, he broke down—visibly shaken, wiping away tears as his manager wrapped an arm around him.

The fan was ejected and banned from all MLB ballparks. But the sting? That lingers far longer.

Boo the team. Heckle the call. But this?

This was personal. And it has no place in baseball—or anywhere.

🌾 The Legend of Ben Arroz

Sometimes a nickname just sticks—especially when it comes with 2 million TikTok views and a bilingual flex at first base.

Ben Rice, the Yankees’ rookie first baseman with Ivy League brains and sneaky pop, earned more than a call-up last summer. He earned a new name: Ben Arroz.

Why? Picture this: He robs Elly De La Cruz with a leaping snag. A few innings later, Elly reaches first… and Rice casually hits him with a smooth Spanish greeting.

Elly double-takes. “Oh, it’s cool you speak Spanish.”
Yep. Fluently.

Rice started learning Spanish in sixth grade—just thought it seemed more useful than French. Now teammates joke he could moonlight as the Yankees’ backup translator—if he wasn’t busy launching baseballs into orbit.

It’s more than a party trick. It’s a bridge. It’s helped him build bonds, calm pitchers, and navigate a dugout full of accents and energy.

One of his closest friendships? Pitcher Juan Carela, who shared the Ben Arroz origin story on TikTok. The internet ate it up.

Rice didn’t learn Spanish for baseball. But in a game where communication is everything, it became one of his best tools.

His advice to the next wave of ballplayers: Start early. Speak often. Mess up. Try again. You don’t need to be perfect. Just present.

Sometimes the best way to earn trust in the dugout… is to say “¿Qué tal?” at first base.

⚾️Busch N Busch

This week, a Busch did something that had never been done in St. Louis…

Cubs first baseman Michael Busch homered at—yep—Busch Stadium.

You’d think that, since the Cardinals renamed Sportsman’s Park back in 1953, some Busch or Bush would’ve gone deep in a stadium literally named Busch.

Nope. Michael’s the first.

Busch homers at Busch.
Historic. Hilarious. Weirdly wholesome.

And yes—we checked. No Busch. No Bush. Not even a rogue Büscher.
Nearly 70 years. Zero dingers. Until now.

This is baseball at its best: where obscure trivia meets perfect poetry.
Where a guy named Busch finally parks one at Busch.

Next up? We wait for a kid named Fenway to crack the Red Sox lineup.

Can Video Games Actually Make You a Better Hitter?

Hey kids: next time Mom and Dad gripe about your time spent on video games, drop this stat—Athletics’ rookie Jacob Wilson is hitting .338, and he swears his secret sauce is… Fortnite.
👉Read the full story

📣 Quote of the Week

“A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore.” Yogi Berra

🍻 One for the Road

⚾ When a Logo Mishap Becomes a Mission

Minor League promos are the best… until they backfire.

Take the Chesapeake Baysox, the Orioles’ Double-A affiliate. This season, they introduced a new alternate identity: the Chesapeake Oyster Catchers—a tribute to the red-billed shorebirds of the Bay.

The issue? One logo—featuring a baseball cradled in an oyster shell—reminded fans of, well… human anatomy more than birdlife.

But instead of scrapping the plan, the Baysox pivoted. They redesigned the logo to include a cervical cancer awareness ribbon and partnered with Cervivor Inc., turning an awkward rollout into a powerful women’s health campaign.

The Oyster Catchers will take the field five times this season. Each game will honor cancer survivors, auction off game-worn jerseys, and raise funds—with Minor League Baseball matching all donations.

From eyebrow-raising to inspiring—this is how you turn a branding blunder into a bigger purpose.
Sometimes, the best plays happen off the field.

🧢 Get tickets or gear to support the cause.

That’s it for this week.

Enjoy the weekend! Thanks for checking in.

John Boxley - High N Tight

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