High N Tight Saturday!

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🧨 FIRST PITCH — Clayton’s Final Curve

Seriously, Clayton — after a night like this, you sure you’re ready to walk away?

For Dodgers fans, it was everything you hoped it would be Friday night. In his final regular season start at Dodger Stadium, Clayton Kershaw took the mound against the hated Giants — with plenty at stake.

In the fifth inning, he struck out Rafael Devers and that was it. Manager Dave Roberts came out and pulled the lefty. For Kershaw, a moment to savor it all — teammates hugging him as the crowd cheered. Cameras caught his emotional wife Ellen wiping away tears. Hollywood couldn’t have scripted it better.

The Dodgers went on to win and clinch a playoff spot after Shohei Ohtani crushed his 52nd home run.

Earlier in the week, Kershaw announced that the 2025 season would be it. After missing the postseason in 2024 due to injuries, he came back determined to give it one more shot.

While the fastball might not pop like it once did, Clayton was crafty as ever, stabilizing an injury-riddled staff with a 10-2 record and 3.55 ERA. Proof he still had it.

Eighteen seasons brought plenty of highs — three Cy Young Awards, an MVP, and 3,000 strikeouts. And the lows — postseason struggles that dogged him for years. But in 2020, it all came together — Dodgers winning the World Series with Kershaw throwing the clincher.

Yes, he can still pitch. But more importantly, he’s walking away while he still can.

I had one brief encounter with Clayton during my TV news days about 15 years ago. After a game, I got into an elevator and there he was with his young bride, celebrating a Dodger victory. Someone in the elevator asked for driving directions to Pasadena. Without missing a beat, the young Texan gave detailed instructions. Even then, he had a good handle on L.A.

What does he want before the curtain falls? Of course, one final October run. Another ring. Defined not by decline, but by how he finishes.

Eighteen seasons. Dodger blue. 3,000+ strikeouts. Championships. Awards. A growing family (his wife’s expecting #5). Yeah, it’s good to be Clayton Kershaw.

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41 Years Later, A World Series Ring

Better late than never: this week, former Tigers pitcher Randy O’Neal finally got the 1984 World Series ring he’d been waiting on for 41 years.

O’Neal was called up late in that magical season. He struck out Hall of Famer Robin Yount in his first start and helped the Tigers clinch the division.

He suited up for the postseason run, part of the bullpen. But when the rings were handed out, O’Neal’s name somehow got lost in the shuffle. No ring. No explanation.

To this day, nobody has a good answer.

Fast forward 41 years. The Tigers made it right. At age 65, O’Neal slipped on his long-overdue ring, joined by teammates Alan Trammell, Lance Parrish, and Dan Petry.

“Validation,” O’Neal said. “I earned it.”

A rookie who carried 1984 in his heart now has the hardware to show for it.

Fan Interference… AND a Home Run?

This one will make your head hurt.

Rays vs. Blue Jays. Brandon Lowe drives one to right, Nathan Lukes leaps at the wall… but a fan leans over the fence and snatches it. Clear interference, right?

The umps huddled, replay rolled. Verdict: fan interference.

Then came the twist: they still gave Lowe a home run.

Wait. What? It can’t be both. The Replay Center ruled it “would’ve been a homer anyway.”

Umpire Laz Díaz and his crew were roasted online:

“Laz Diaz making rules up on the go?? #BlueJays”

So which was it? Nobody — not even Laz — seems to know.

Watch the video

Ken vs. The Camera Guy

Fox Sports MLB reporter Ken Rosenthal stands all of 5-foot-4. Last week, after a Brewers walk-off win, he was on the field for the postgame interview when the Gatorade shower came flying.

Rosenthal bolted to safety — and instead steamrolled a Brewers cameraman.

Laid him out. Rosenthal froze, his look priceless as he stood over the fallen cameraman. Obviously an accident, and he apologized right after.

The clip? Brutal. Hilarious. Pure internet gold.

Watch the video

⚡️ Wonderboy

With Robert Redford’s passing this week, it feels right to revisit The Natural. Released in 1984, it gave us Roy Hobbs and his bat “Wonderboy,” carved from a lightning-struck tree.

The movie was a favorite in the Brannon household.

Five years later, in 1989, North Carolina high schooler Paul Brannon was given a gold lightning-bolt chain by his father. That spring, he smashed 20 home runs and carried his team to a state title.

Three decades later, his son Brooks — now a Red Sox prospect — received the same gold chain from his grandfather. Lightning struck again: Brooks belted 20 homers, tying his dad’s record.

Maybe it was genetics. Maybe it was grit. Or maybe — just maybe — Wonderboy’s spark jumped from the big screen into a family heirloom.

Lightning doesn’t strike twice? Tell that to the Brannons.

Two generations, two lightning bolts, one perfect symmetry. Redford would’ve loved it.