On to Game Seven

🔥 FIRST PITCH — Game Seven

Happy Saturday.

Baseball wanted a Dodgers–Yankees World Series rematch in the worst way.
Turns out it got something even better.

This Dodgers–Blue Jays showdown has been everything last year’s five-game dud wasn’t — competitive, unpredictable, electric. Toronto has matched L.A. punch-for-punch, and now we’ve reached those magic words every fan dreams of: Game Seven.

Sure, the U.S. ratings dipped without the Yankees in primetime.
But north of the border and across the Pacific? They’re soaring.

Canada and Japan are setting viewership records — making this the most-watched World Series since 2016, when the Cubs broke their curse.

Not too shabby.

Game Seven. For all the marbles.

And once the champagne dries, the real battle begins.

The current CBA expires after the 2026 season, and all signs point to a 2027 lockout.
Owners want a salary cap.
Players will respond with a resounding hell no.

We’ve seen this movie before — there is not going to be a salary cap in baseball. Period.

Here’s the thing: owners are never gonna outspend the Dodgers.
But they can compete — if you actually want to.

There’s no magic financial lever that saves small markets from L.A., New York, or the Mets.
The answer isn’t dragging them down — it’s climbing up.

A $67 million payroll like the Marlins or $84 million for the Pirates isn’t cutting it.
Before we talk caps, let’s talk floors.

Set the minimum at $150 million.
Can’t afford it? Time to sell.

Tampa Bay’s former owner Stu Sternberg saw the writing on the wall and cashed out — a billion-dollar profit — maybe others should follow suit.

Tough choices await baseball once the confetti settles.
Because when the bottles are sprayed, another game — the one played in boardrooms and bargaining rooms — is just beginning.

👍 THE GOOD — Will Klein

Who the hell is Will Klein?

That’s what most baseball fans were asking this week during that wild, 18-inning Game 3 marathon.

Talk about an unlikely World Series hero.

As the innings dragged on and both bullpens emptied, the Dodgers were down to their last arm. One pitcher left.
Will Klein.

The bearded right-hander had spent most of the season buried in the minors.
He’d never thrown more than two innings in a game.

In Game 3, he threw four scoreless innings — four innings of pure guts — keeping the Dodgers alive until Freddie Freeman finally walked it off with a homer.

Klein got the win.
And waiting to shake his hand afterward? Sandy Koufax.

From anonymous to unforgettable — not bad for a 24-hour legend.

🧨 THE BAD — Wow! That was Bad!

Umpiring this postseason — yeah, it’s starting to sound like a broken record — but this one was truly awful.

Game 3. Runner on first. Tyler Glasnow fires what everyone in the building knows is ball four to Daulton Varsho.
Varsho starts his casual trot to first… and then — plate umpire Mark Wegner calls a strike?!

A very late call. Total chaos.
Bo Bichette, the runner on first, is already moving on what should’ve been ball four.
But since it’s suddenly a strike, he’s hung out to dry — tagged out.

A gift out for the Dodgers if there ever was one.

And yes, this was that 18-inning marathon. Because of course it was.

🎥 Watch the video.

🔴 THE UGLY — Springer’s Injury, Cheered

We all knew George Springer was going to hear it from Dodger fans this week.
But cheering an injury? That’s a new low.

In the seventh inning, Springer took a big swing and fouled it off.He immediately stepped out of the box, clutching his side and signaling for the trainers.

As he headed to the dugout, clearly in pain, the crowd cheered.

Fox Sports’ Joe Davis — who also calls games for the Dodgers — didn’t let it slide:

That shouldn’t be cheered. Ever. Under any circumstances. No matter the history.”

Ah yes, the history.
Springer was part of the 2017 Astros team that cheated their way through the World Series.
Dodger fans clearly haven’t forgiven or forgotten.

Some posted online:

“Karma for the cheater!”
“He’s a cheater. Probably a faker too.”

Sure it was all in fun. 😱
But not a great look for Dodger Blue.

Springer was back for Game 6, but that moment — and that reaction — stuck.

Watch the video

🚠 🚡 ONE FOR THE ROAD — Frank’s Free Ride

It’s the talk of L.A.: a gondola to Dodger Stadium.
A cable car to ferry fans from Downtown to Chavez Ravine — supposedly to ease the eternal traffic jam.

A gondola. What could be more fun?

And who’s behind it? Frank McCourt.
Yes — that Frank McCourt.

The same former Dodger owner who turned the franchise into a national punchline.
He and his then-wife treated the team like an ATM, drove it into bankruptcy, and somehow still walked away with $2 billion.

Now he wants to give fans a free lift to the ballpark. His little gift to L.A.

Forgive us if we’re not racing to climb aboard, Frank.

During McCourt’s reign, things got so ugly MLB had to step in and save the Dodgers.
Commissioner Bud Selig called the team’s finances “a matter of deep concern,” after learning McCourt was diverting assets for personal needs.
Translation: beach houses instead of bullpen help.

Fast-forward a decade — the Dodgers are a global powerhouse, the opposite of McCourt’s mess.
Back then they were a “small-market team” in Los Angeles, outspent by the Minnesotas of baseball.

And now this guy wants to fly us to the ballpark?

Come on, Los Angeles. You really want to get back on board with Frank McCourt?
The last time this city trusted him, it ended in bankruptcy court and late-night jokes.

Good luck with the gondola, Frank.
I’m sure it’ll be a huge success. 😏