Happy Saturday!

Last week, we saw the big four—Boston, Philly, Houston and the Mets—hanging on by a thread.

This week?

Firings.

The Red Sox fired Alex Cora.
The Phillies moving on from Rob Thomson.

Cora and Thomson are being paid through 2027.

They’ll be just fine.

That’s baseball.

Lose games… lose your job.
Even if you didn’t build the roster.

The guys who did build these teams?
Dave Dombrowski and Craig Breslow.

Fellas… this is your mess.

Careful of falling objects.

Meanwhile—

José Feliciano is closing in on a record $3.9B purchase of the Padres.

Yes—even as baseball “struggles financially.”

They’re still lining up to buy in.

Go figure.

I saw this the other day—

The net worth of all 30 owners.

28 are billionaires.

Only the Reds and Rockies fall short.

(though—the Walton group just bought a 40% stake in Colorado.)

It’s interesting.

Peter Seidler bought the Padres in 2012 for $800M.

He spent.

People called it reckless.

Fourteen years later?

The franchise is worth $3.9B.

Because they tried to win.

Didn’t wait on revenue-sharing checks.
Didn’t play it safe.

Now—with CBA talks coming—

Owners want a cap.

They say the future of the game is on the line.

Fine.

We’ll see.

But when a “small-market” team is valued at $4B.

your sport is doing just fine.

The ABS challenge has been the biggest story of the young season.

That simple tap to the helmet?

It’s flipping at-bats and games.

This week… a new milestone.

The Cincinnati Reds have a long-running deal with LaRosa Pizzeria:

11 strikeouts by Reds pitchers—and everyone in attendance gets free pizza.

Top of the 9th.
Reds vs. Rockies.

Reds have ten strikeouts. One short.

Pitcher Brock Burke fires a 1–2 pitch to Edouard Julien.

Ball.

Or… is it?

Catcher Tyler Stephenson pops up—

taps the helmet.

Challenge.

The call is overturned.

Strike three.

No. 11.

The crowd erupts.

Pizza for all.

Does it get better than that?

Courtesy of ABS.

It was criminal.

Baseball in a prison yard.

Thursday.

Minor league ball.

The Joliet Slammers hosted the Gateway Grizzlies inside Old Joliet Prison.

They called it the “Big House Ballgame.”

5,500 fans showed up—eager to spend the day in jail.

Including Bill Murray.

This place has history.

Inmates were playing ball here way back in 1914.

And it was a backdrop in the Blues Brothers starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd.

“Joliet” Jake stepping out of those gates—
Suit. Shades. Attitude.

The prison shut down in 2002.

But this week, baseball was back.

And yeah—it got weird.

Dimensions?

230 to left.
280 to center and right.

The field had a makeshift Wiffle ball feel.

And the fans leaned all the way in—

Black suits. Sunglasses. Full Blues Brothers fits.

Perfect.

Same old game—
different cell block.

Say what you want about the New York Mets.

At least their tickets are affordable.

This week, a ticket to see the Mets vs. Nationals at Citi Field went for $4.

Four dollars.

Fees included.

Seriously—what can you even get for four bucks anymore?

Not much.

But a shot to see Juan Soto—and the struggling Mets?

Now that’s a deal.

Don’t believe me?

Try this—

Train to the game? $9.50
Milkshake at Shake Shack? $11.19
Long Island Ducks ticket? Starts at $18

But the Mets?

Four bucks.

When you’re fielding one of the worst teams in baseball…

you’ve gotta do something.

Still—

baseball for less than the train ride to get there?

That’s not bad.

That’s a steal.

The Mets might be breaking hearts—

but at least they’re not breaking the bank.

Guess it helps if you can actually see the baseball.

Just ask Max Muncy.

A year ago, Muncy looked lost at the plate—hitting like a guy trying to read a stop sign in the fog.

Then he did something radical.

He went to the eye doctor.

Got a pair of glasses.

Turns out the biggest adjustment wasn’t mechanical—it was optical.

He’s turned into one of the best hitters in baseball..

Since putting them on?

In 92 games:
.274 average
26 bombs

Problem solved.

You could say he found his swing.

Or more accurately—

he finally saw it.

Like many of us—

Vincent Towns had the dream.

The big leagues.
Facing the best.

He was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in ’91.

High 80’s mph fastball.

But two years later?

It was over.

Released.

For many, that’s where the story ends.

Towns went to work in construction.

But never gave up the dream.

He played in weekend adult leagues.

Even developed a new pitch—

the knuckleball.

Fast forward 34 years.

Last weekend…

Towns made his return to professional baseball.

At age 53.

Back in uniform with the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars.

The oldest player in Atlantic League history—passing Roger Clemens.

And yes…

throwing the knuckleball.

It didn’t go so well.

Towns faced four batters.
Gave up three hits.

Didn’t matter.

Nothing could dampen his spirits.

Thirty-four years later…

he was back.

Vowing to do better next time.

At 53—

still chasing it.

Back on his field of dreams.

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