Monday Bantering: Bits of Baseball Stuff

It is a slow Monday morning for me. We have a chinook blowing through Calgary, which means it is a lot warmer than it was, but it also affects some people. Some folks get migraines. I don't get that. I get tired. I could sleep all day with no trouble and have many times. I am having a hard time focusing on anything.

But it is warm out. And that is a good thing.

Anyway, there isn't much for news, and there won't be until the lockout ends, and it doesn't look like that will happen soon.

On the positive side, the Owners are preparing a new offer for the Players. They plan to deliver it near the end of the month or early February. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any urgency to get anything done. I don't think there is much chance spring training starts on time. With the money the Owners make off the game, you would think they could move heaven and earth to get the season started.

But I was saying this about a friend negotiating over something large, and the two parties are reasonably close, but both have dug in their heels. If you were thinking dispassionately, you'd say 'meet in the middle,' but, being men, they both want to win.

I'm like that too, sports, really anything, when I'm in the middle of it, I want to win. I play tennis a couple of times a week. I'm new to the game and learning, so I'm not very good, but I want to win when I'm playing. After I could care less, I couldn't tell you if I won last week, but when it happened, it was important.

I think the Owners (and likely Players) at the same on this. Both want the win though they would be better off if they just settled it before losing revenue. But the win is more important.

It would be better if they acted like adults, talked it through now and made a 'win/win' or 'lose/lose' deal.

Former Blue Jays prospect, Sean Nolin, has signed with the Kia Tigers of the Korea Baseball Organization. He’ll get $600,000 with $300,000 more in incentives.

You'll remember that Sean was part of the trade that brought us Josh Donaldson from the A's. Sean has pitched a total of 58 innings in the majors.

The Yankees hired a female, Rachel Balkovec, to manage their Low-A Tampa Tarpons team. She becomes the first female manager in the minors.

She is over-qualified for the job, and has worked her way up from being a strength and conditioning coach in the Cardinals minor league system, has two masters' degrees, and has been a minor league hitting coach for the Yankees since 2019.

And the Australian Baseball League had their first female pitcher make her debut for the Melbourne Aces this weekend. She's 17, apparently is looking to 'make a college program in the US'.

Chompin' Trees for Your Pleasure? We could, and have, done worse.