Happy Saturday!

Watching baseball this week, I found myself thinking back to my own Little League days.

Those weekly practices where our coaches drilled us on the fundamentals.

Use two hands on a ground ball.

Call for a fly ball.

Hit the cutoff man.

The basics.

Sometimes it worked.

Sometimes it didn't.

Turns out the big leaguers can have their challenges with the basics too.

Just fielding a simple bunt can turn into pure chaos.

Let's get to it.

Mr. Pettibone, my little league coach, would have lost his mind watching this debacle.

It was ugly.

Monday night in San Diego.

Reds and Padres were tied at 2 in the 7th inning.

The weak-hitting Padres tried a sacrifice bunt.

Back toward the pitcher.

But the pitcher and first baseman collided.

The throw is late.

Safe at first.

Next batter.

Another bunt.

Right at the first baseman.

He boots it.

Run scores.

Next batter?

You guessed it.

Bunt.

Back to the pitcher.

Fumbled yet again.

Safe.

Three straight bunts.

Three straight muffs.

A 2-2 game turns into a 6-2 Padres victory.

The Reds might need a refresher course on fielding a bunt.

Embarrassing.

Watch the video

The A's are in Las Vegas this, giving the city a sneak peek at their future home team.

A six-game audition.

If Monday night's opener was any indication, pitchers should be terrified.

And yes, they gave it the Vegas treatment.

There was a fighter-jet flyover, UFC announcer Bruce Buffer announcing the starting lineups, green smoke shooting from the dugout, and enough glitz to make it feel more like a prize fight than a baseball game.

Then the game started.

And it quickly turned into a circus.

Playing at the club's Triple-A ballpark, the A's and Brewers combined for 29 runs, 30 hits, 11 home runs, and 16 ABS challenges.

Nothing was routine. There were fly balls that kept carrying thanks to the thin desert air. Ground balls that took strange and sudden hops.

At times, the game looked like it was being played inside a pinball machine.

The final score?

Brewers 15.

A's 14.

12 innings.

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas?

Maybe.

The A's won't move here permanently until 2028.

But if this was a preview of baseball on the Strip, pitchers might want to stay in Sacramento.

And with the Rockies in town this weekend, gamblers might want to start betting the over now.

Still.

The A's in Vegas could make for a pretty fun family road trip.

Baseball dad gone stupid.

Have We Lost Our Frickin' Minds?

Last weekend at Busch Stadium, a home run ball became lodged behind the outfield wall.

That wasn't going to stop one father-son team.

The boy's stepfather, wearing a Reds shirt, grabbed his 8-year-old stepson by the legs and lowered him headfirst over the wall in an attempt to retrieve the baseball.

The stunt was shown on the broadcast.

One announcer gasped:

"That dude is going to sacrifice his son."

Before the boy could reach the ball, security stepped in and shut it down.

Had the father lost his grip, it was about a 30-foot drop.

The video quickly went viral.

And sure, it's funny.

Until somebody gets hurt.

In 2011, a fan at a Texas Rangers game fell 20 feet to his death after reaching for a ball tossed into the stands by Josh Hamilton.

Over a baseball.

The father later defended himself.

"I've done it hundreds of times."

Ok.

The family went home without the baseball.

Probably for the best.

⚾ Tarik Skubal
The Tigers' ace is back and set to pitch Saturday.

Let the trade speculation begin...again.

⚾ Trey Mancini
Three years after his last major league game, Trey Mancini returned.

In his first game back?

Three hits.

Not bad for a guy who battled cancer, endured injuries, and nearly walked away from the game altogether.

Some stories are bigger than the box score.

⚾ Braden Montgomery
First major league game.

Walk-off home run.

Not a bad way to start a career.

⚾ Bryce Eldridge
The Giants' top prospect delivered a walk-off grand slam.

At 21 years old, he's giving San Francisco fans plenty to dream about.

Finally.

One for the road.

Driving through Pittsburgh this week, Paul Skenes spotted a Little League practice and decided to stop by.

No announcement.

No publicity stunt.

Just Skenes in shorts and flip-flops playing catch with Little Leaguers.

He signed autographs.

Posed for photos.

Played catch.

And turned an ordinary Monday night practice into a memory those kids will be talking about 30 years from now.

Afterward, the coaches offered Skenes a beer.

He declined.

"I'm pitching against the Dodgers tomorrow."

Thirty years from now, those kids won't remember the score of a random Pirates game.

They'll remember the night Paul Skenes showed up at practice.

Pretty cool. ⚾

—Box

Have a great weekend.
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