After hosting Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Athletics for a third of their season with plans to do so until 2028, Sacramento announced its wager of one billion dollars of taxpayer money to bring an MLB team to the city for good.
In what is being called “The Sacramento Pitch,” the city plans to raise $ 1.8 billion to fund a stadium and team. $800 million of the proposition would come from land and tribal investments, while the remaining billion would come from tax-increment financing from the stadium, parking, and hotels currently or soon to be in the area. 
West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero seemed unbothered by the large-scale gamble when discussing the plan.
“Over 40 years, the ballpark district will lead to $1.77 billion in new revenue for the entire city, Yolo County, and our schools,” Mayor Guerrero stated in the announcement of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtqEyI4OPwI">bid</a>. “One billion of that will be dispersed to the City of West Sacramento and reinvested into the ballpark district. This one billion investment would be generated solely by activity in the ballpark district.”
The area around the proposed stadium will use taxpayer dollars to fund the tax-increment financing that is discussed in “The Sacramento Pitch.” While Mayor Guerrero mentions that they will not tap into the general fund and no taxpayer vote will be necessary, concerns are still being raised about whether public resources are being committed indirectly. Future increases in property taxes may be used for stadium upgrades down the line if the ballpark is built in West Sacramento.
This tension between economic development promises and the public’s part in the project is what led officials to propose the stadium initiative in the first place, as they attempt to structure financing in a way that appears fiscally neutral while still making the project viable.
West Sacramento’s proposition was born after the current MLB commissioner expressed his desire to expand the league to 32 teams before he retires in January of 2029. Sacramento is among Salt Lake City, Nashville, and Portland as potential cities looking to add a team. 
Currently, the capital region is home to the San Francisco Giants’ Triple-A affiliate, the Sacramento River Cats, as well as the former Oakland Athletics, who are waiting to relocate to Las Vegas in 2028. The support for baseball for a major league team that isn’t even theirs sparked the plan.
“The momentum around the team is growing, attendance is increasing, and community enthusiasm is building because people are starting to think that if we do a lot for the Athletics, we&#8217;re also demonstrating to Major League Baseball that Sacramento is ready,” president and CEO of the Greater Sacramento Economic Council Barry Broome told <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/sports/sacramento-makes-case-mlbs-next-expansion-city-calling-market-big-ignore">Fox News</a>.
Regardless of how ready Sacramento believes they are for a baseball team, gambling close to $1 billion in tax-increment financing is not always the safest way to spend a city’s money.

MLB: JUN 02 Orioles at Giants

West Sacramento Makes A Billion Dollar Tax-Payer Gamble To Keep Major League Baseball Around

Baseball

Entertainment

Major League Baseball

Sacramento

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu were met with a chorus of boos Friday at Fenway Park, as more than 36,000 fans packed the stadium for the Red Sox home opener, and made their feelings about the two politicians unmistakably clear.
The two Democrats took the field for a pregame ceremony ahead of Boston’s matchup against the San Diego Padres, but instead of cheers, they were greeted with sustained jeers from the crowd. Video of the moment quickly went viral, with fans loudly booing as Healey and Wu appeared on the field.
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NEW: Fenway Park ERUPTS in boos as Governor Healey and Mayor Wu take the field on Red Sox opening day — 37,000 fans making their feelings very clear <a href="https://t.co/i51cYVpkYd">pic.twitter.com/i51cYVpkYd</a>
— Mass Daily News (@MassDailyNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/MassDailyNews/status/2040139573469081665?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Republican challengers wasted no time capitalizing on the optics. “Maura Healey and Michelle Wu just got booed very loudly,” GOP gubernatorial candidate Brian Shortsleeve said in a <a href="https://x.com/ShortsleeveMA/status/2040161827124863010">video</a> from the ballpark. “It was even louder in person!” Another candidate, Mike Minogue, <a href="https://x.com/MikeMinogueABMD/status/2040180210365075556">added</a>, “Looks like fans want someone else up to bat,” while Mike Kennealy <a href="https://x.com/MikeKennealy/status/2040147033927946707">posted</a> simply, “Man, I love Red Sox Nation!”
For Wu, the moment carried a sense of déjà vu. The Boston mayor was also booed at last year’s home opener, raising fresh questions about why prominent politicians continue to insert themselves into a setting where the reception is increasingly predictable.
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<a href="https://t.co/x7xrLNOSaD">pic.twitter.com/x7xrLNOSaD</a>
— Alex (@Alexzachary305) <a href="https://twitter.com/Alexzachary305/status/1908491445528408192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
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If anything, a Major League Baseball crowd is supposed to function as a kind of political neutral ground, a cross-section of the public rather than an ideologically stacked arena — which makes the reaction at Fenway all the more notable.
Earlier this year, New Jersey Democrat Governor Mikie Sherrill faced a similar reception at a New Jersey Devils game, where fans audibly booed as she appeared — another reminder that, in the current political climate, even traditionally apolitical spaces like sporting events are becoming venues for public backlash.
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🚨 OUCH: New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill gets BOOED at tonight’s NJ Devils game 
<a href="https://t.co/3GuEPDn8gH">pic.twitter.com/3GuEPDn8gH</a>
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheChiefNerd/status/2026859323104600186?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Back at Fenway, Healey and Wu stood on the field posing for photos alongside <a href="https://x.com/NESN/status/2040134915245629915">members of the 1986 Red Sox</a>, a team immortalized for triumph in a historically bad era of Boston baseball, then for one of the most <a href="https://x.com/KevG163/status/1982058314478354862">infamous errors in sports history</a>. The 1986 Sox came within a single out of winning the World Series before unraveling against the New York Mets in dramatic fashion.
On Friday, as the boos rained down, the pairing of those former players with two unpopular politicians felt like an unintentional callback: past failure meeting present discontent.
Of course, politicians showing up at sporting events is nothing new. But it’s also rarely necessary. No fan has ever left a game wishing the governor or mayor had made an appearance, but moments like this ensure plenty will remember when they did — and at Fenway Park, Red Sox Nation didn’t hold back.

Fenway Park

WATCH: Democrat Mayor, Governor Showered With Boos At Fenway Park Opener

Boston Red Sox

Democrats

Sports

This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/introducing-upstream-a-lifestyle-and-culture-section-of-the-daily-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream,</a> The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
***
One of the most important moments in baseball history occurred on Saturday, in the 6th inning of a closely contested but otherwise ordinary early-season game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox. 
With two outs and the bases loaded, with the Reds up 5-3, C.B. Bucknor, one of the worst home-plate umpires in Major League Baseball, rung up Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez on a called strike three. Suarez immediately tapped his helmet, indicating he was disputing the call. This activated the computerized ABS, Automated Balls and Strikes system, which the MLB is officially implementing this year after several years of trial and error. 
TV viewers immediately saw the pitch, as did people in the Reds home stadium. The computer animation showed that Bucknor was wrong. It was a ball. The crowd roared. Any true baseball fan — and the Reds have a passionate and well-informed fan base — knows that Bucknor has long been a problem for the sport, an out-of-control, marginally-competent egomaniac who often gets calls wrong in key situations, imposing his will, deciding games in inappropriate situations. 
On the very next pitch, Bucknor rung up Suarez again. Again, Suarez challenged, and again, Bucknor was wrong. It was a ball. The stadium reacted like the Reds had just won the World Series. The Reds announcers remarked that it was the loudest cheer on a day where the Reds had already hit two home runs. 
On the next pitch after that, Suarez grounded out to end the inning. But even though the Reds ended up walking off the game in the 11th with a single, winning a 6-5 thriller, the real headline was the gauntlet that this new technology laid down to the home-plate umpire’s authority. The Red Sox and Reds challenged Bucknor eight times. And they were right six of those times. Tensions boiled over so extremely that Bucknor ended up ejecting Red Sox manager Alex Cora in the eighth inning. But that was the desperate act of exactly the type of professionally doomed person that the ABS means to expose. The game will never be the same.  
One of baseball’s most beautiful features is that it’s always changing. It used to take nine balls to draw a walk. Black players had a separate league. There were no night games. People rooted for players with names like “Dizzy” and “Dazzy” and “Moose.” And the game today, though basically the same as the one I knew as a kid, also has some significant differences. The Houston Astros used to be in the National League. The Milwaukee Brewers were in the American League. There were no Wild Card teams until 1995. There were no divisions until 1969. The introduction of in-season interleague play seemed like a dumb idea, and it remains a dumb idea, but there’s absolutely nothing we can do about it now. When the MLB added the designated hitter to the National League, it was a violation of all that’s holy. But that was before Shohei Ohtani signed with my beloved Dodgers. Now I like the DH. 
There was also a time when we couldn’t even conceive of robot umps, except on an episode of Futurama, but now they feel like they’ve always been inevitable. Fans used to have a lot of fun when fat old managers roared out of the dugout to scream at fat old umpires over ball-strike calls. But that was decades ago, when the calls were guesswork for everyone involved, fans, players, managers, and umpires alike. After TV broadcasts introduced pitch-tracking technology in 2008 and StatCast in 2015, suddenly everyone could see exactly what the umps were getting wrong. The era of “YER BLIND, UMP!” ended. It stopped being amusing and started just feeling pathetic. 
MLB first tried out the ABS system in the minor leagues and then last season in Spring Training. The system uses 12 Hawk-Eye cameras and T-Mobile’s 5G network to track pitches within one-sixth of an inch of accuracy. It takes the guesswork out of the way, removing the last major bone of contention that teams have with umpires. 
If a pitcher, catcher, or batter thinks an umpire has missed a strike call, they can &#8220;challenge.” This triggers an automatic robot review. If the challenger is right, the call is overturned. But the challenger can also be wrong, which allows the game to retain an element of human error. From Thursday through Sunday, roughly 54% of all challenged calls were overturned, which means that players were right slightly more often than umpires. 
Umpires are often right, but the bad ones can no longer take charge of a game behind the plate through bad calls, briefly becoming the main character when the focus should be on the players. Also, the ABS mostly gets rid of “pitch-framing,” a sub-skill among certain catchers where they can micro-jerk their mitts into the strike zone, sleight-of-hand fooling umpires into making the wrong call. It’s going to get a lot harder for catchers to pull a rabbit out of that hat, just like it’s going to get a lot harder for batters to throw temper tantrums when they think the umpire has done them dirty. The rational ABS will quickly dump ice water on those hotheads. 
Most importantly, it will be a lot harder for a missed ball-strike call to determine a game’s outcome. We saw perhaps the last instance of this in modern history in the 9th inning of the World Baseball Classic semifinal between the USA and the Dominican Republic. The WBC didn’t use the ABS, and it sure showed. With the 2-1 game on the line and a runner on third with a three-ball and two-strike count, U.S. pitcher Mason Miller threw a low slider to the DR’s Geraldo Perdomo. It was clearly a ball. Perdomo didn’t swing. Umpire Cory Blaser called it a strike anyway, and that was ballgame. 
Cory Blaser may be the last umpire ever to crush a national fan base’s dreams. The ABS cannot make a mistake like that. It sees all. 
Over the weekend, the Baltimore Orioles successfully challenged two separate pitches in the 9th inning against the Minnesota Twins, turning a potential walk into a strikeout to nail down an 8-6 win. We’ve yet to see a dramatic game-ending ABS overturn, but it’s coming, and the stadium will go nuts like a stadium has never gone nuts before. Because the robot umps are here to save baseball.
***
Neal Pollack, “the greatest living American writer,” is the author of 12 semi-bestselling books of fiction and nonfiction and is a three-time “Jeopardy!” champion.

Arizona Diamondbacks v. Los Angeles Dodgers

Baseball Just Put An End To One Of Its Most Frustrating Problems

Upstream

This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/introducing-upstream-a-lifestyle-and-culture-section-of-the-daily-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream,</a> The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
***
There is something beautiful that exists only on the baseball field and in the stands, and it isn’t the manufactured roar of a billion-dollar stadium or the over-produced bass of a “fan experience” sound system. It’s the sharp, lonely crack of a wooden bat echoing off a wooden grandstand, the low murmur of men in lawn chairs, and a scorecard being filled out by hand.
On Opening Day this year, Americans have a deep cultural hunger for the authentic, the local, the rugged. You see it in the revival of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ditch-the-doomscroll-and-try-the-granny-hobbies-bringing-real-peace-back">traditional crafts</a> and in the renaissance of farming and homesteading. And yet, our national pastime is being stripped of its poetry by the cold, clinical hand of modern finance. In recent years, the business of baseball has succumbed to a particularly modern form of madness: the cult of efficiency.
Major League Baseball has shuttered and unaffiliated <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/30486689/mlb-120-farm-teams-40-cities-dropped-affiliates">dozens of minor league affiliates</a>, cutting the cord on communities that had hosted teams for generations. In the vacuum, firms such as Diamond Baseball Holdings, backed by Silicon Valley capital, have moved in — not to steward the game, but to consolidate it. These firms don’t buy teams because they love the infield fly rule (like I do). They buy them to extract value.
To maximize that value, they lean on public money, hundreds of millions of dollars from local governments, pressuring towns such as <a href="https://www.wtvm.com/2024/09/04/columbus-bets-big-baseball-with-50m-investment-braves-affiliate/">Columbus, Georgia,</a> and <a href="https://www.cityofspartanburg.org/m/newsflash/home/detail/44">Spartanburg, South Carolina,</a> into financing stadiums under the threat of relocation. So the question becomes unavoidable: Why are we subsidizing the corporatization of our own culture? This is more than economics; it&#8217;s a kind of erasure. The local team becomes a line item, the ballpark becomes an asset, and the community — its memories, its rituals, and its people — is treated as expendable and tradable.
And yet, anyone who has ever sat in those bleachers knows exactly what’s at stake. Sociologists call them “third spaces,&#8221; places that are neither home nor work where community is built. For generations of American men, the baseball field has been the ultimate third space.
It is a slow game. In our hyper-caffeinated, doomscrolling age, it creates room for something rare: quiet, unstructured fellowship. You sit shoulder-to-shoulder with your father, your brother, your friends, watching the same patch of green, speaking in the language of the game. We need these spaces, not &#8220;safe spaces,&#8221; somewhere outdoors where the grass is real (not turf, please) and the stakes are human. 
This fellowship is the connective tissue of our social order. We knew this inherently for all of history; we don’t need a study to prove it. It is where boys learn patience and the truth that failure is not fatal. In baseball, if you fail seven out of 10 times, you’re a star. There is no better metaphor for the kind of stick-to-it gumption real life demands.
I remember my father’s hands adjusting my grip on a bat before my first Little League season. To a boy, that moment is more than instruction. When a father tells his son to keep his eye on the ball, he isn’t just talking about a fastball.
Then the boy grows up, and one day he’s no longer being taught the game; he’s watching it with his father. That’s the magic of baseball. It doesn’t just pass time; it binds generations together in a way unique to American culture. It is the &#8220;green field of the mind&#8221; that A. Bartlett Giamatti <a href="https://mason.gmu.edu/~rmatz/giamatti.html">wrote about</a>, a place where the &#8220;chill rains&#8221; of change are stayed, if only for nine innings. Giamatti famously noted that the game is designed to break your heart, beginning in the spring and leaving you to face the fall alone. But we shouldn&#8217;t let that heart be broken by a Silicon Valley algorithm or a private equity dividend.
If we’re going to keep it, we have to make a conscious choice. It starts by rejecting the convenience of the screen. We’ve become a nation of fans who consume what’s broadcast to us from hundreds of miles away, rooting for logos while the diamonds in our own towns grow over with weeds. This season, go find the game. Find the independent league club playing in a municipal park or the American Legion team where the players still rake the infield themselves. Sit in the stands where the outfield fence is lined with ads for the local plumber and the family-owned hardware store.
Bring your son, and explain why the pitcher throws over to first. Tell him about the first game you remember. Let him feel the long middle innings, the productive boredom that teaches you how to sit still and pay attention and not just scroll away. If our sons grow up thinking that sports are just something you watch on a screen or play on a console, then we’ve failed them. We owe them dirt. We owe them the smell of pine tar and the rhythm of the game. We owe them something that can’t be downloaded.
And we should be honest about this, too: Our dollars are our votes. The people reshaping this game want frictionless consumption. They want us staring at betting apps and buying mass-produced jerseys, detached from any real place or community. We don’t have to accept that; we can choose something local and real. Some things are too beautiful to be sold. And some traditions are too important to be optimized away.
Baseball, at its best, cannot be rushed and cannot be faked. It demands your presence. It asks you to sit, to watch, to listen, to be part of something unfolding in real time, on a real piece of ground. It is our best invention to &#8220;stay change,&#8221; to keep the memory of sunshine alive even when the days grow short.
This Opening Day, the big leagues will put on their spectacle. Enjoy it. I know I will. But at some point this summer, I’ll find my way back to a local field. I’ll sit in the stands, I hope with my dad and my brothers. Maybe I&#8217;ll go with my friends, and we&#8217;ll all listen for that sound — the crack of the bat echoing into the evening. I hope to see you there too.

MLB Photos Archive

The Game Hasn’t Changed, But What’s Behind It Has. And Fans Can Feel It.

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Legendary New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter delivered a sharp rebuke of the participation-trophy culture creeping into professional sports, dismantling the notion that the World Baseball Classic holds more weight than a World Series title.
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Appearing on FS1’s pregame show, the five-time World Series champ fired a direct shot at his successor, Aaron Judge. Judge, who is serving as Team USA captain, recently argued that the atmosphere of the World Baseball Classic eclipses that of the Fall Classic
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&#8220;I&#8217;ll say, [the WBC has] been bigger,&#8221; Judge told reporters. &#8220;The World Series I was in versus the crowd here and the one we had against Mexico, it&#8217;s bigger and better than the World Series… The passion that these fans have representing their country, representing some of their favorite players, there&#8217;s nothing like it.&#8221;
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&#8220;I think the people that say it&#8217;s bigger than the World Series never played in a World Series,&#8221; Jeter <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/mlb/article-15657865/Yankees-Derek-Jeter-Aaron-Judge.html">stated</a> with the clinical precision that defined his career. The remark was particularly biting given that Judge has, in fact, played in the World Series but never won one, an experience Judge now describes as underwhelming compared to the &#8220;passion&#8221; of the WBC.
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For Jeter, the comparison is essentially a category error. Jeter pointed to the length and difficulty of a full 162-game MLB season as a key distinction. To the man known as &#8220;Mr. November,&#8221; greatness isn&#8217;t measured by a two-week preseason exhibition, but by the ability to survive a six-month gauntlet and deliver when the stakes are highest.
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The statistics back up Jeter’s authoritative stance. While Judge searches for his first ring, Jeter’s resume is a testament to postseason dominance. A career .310 hitter in the regular season, Jeter actually saw his production increase under the bright lights of the World Series, batting a scorching .321 over 38 games. In the 2000 &#8220;Subway Series,&#8221; Jeter hit .409 with a 1.344 OPS, proving that he didn&#8217;t just participate in championships — he willed them into existence.
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Though Jeter and Judge shared a more supportive tone during a recent 90-minute sit-down, the philosophical divide remains. Judge spoke of a &#8220;personal responsibility&#8221; to win the WBC for veterans like Paul Goldschmidt. Jeter, however, reminded the baseball world that in the Bronx, there is only one standard: &#8220;When you retire, they ask, &#8216;How many championships did you win?&#8217; for a reason.&#8221;
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While the media fawns over bat flips and international unity, the Captain’s message was clear: wearing &#8220;USA&#8221; across your chest is an honor, but until you’ve survived the marathon of an MLB season and secured a ring, you haven&#8217;t truly reached the pinnacle of the sport.

World Series – New York Yankees v. Los Angeles Dodgers – Game One

‘The Captain’ Derek Jeter Knocks Aaron Judge Over Claim WBC Is ‘Bigger’ Than World Series

aaron judge

Derek Jeter

New York Yankees

World Series

Darryl Strawberry’s life has long read like a Major League Baseball box score gone off the rails — stunning highs, crushing lows, and a late-inning redemption that feels like it was scripted for the silver screen. On one hand, there’s the young phenom who burst onto the scene in 1983, the National League Rookie of the Year, whose bat and charisma made him an eight-time All-Star and a cornerstone of the New York Mets’ power-hitting lineup. Over 17 seasons, Strawberry amassed 335 home runs, more than 1,000 RBI, and 221 stolen bases. For fans, he was the epitome of the Mets’ magic. Off the field, however, life had other plans.
Strawberry’s post-baseball years were a litany of troubles. In 1995, he pleaded guilty to a felony count of tax evasion, failing to report $350,000 in income from memorabilia, personal appearances, and autographs. Legal and financial repercussions followed. In 1998, colon cancer struck, requiring surgery and chemotherapy. By the next year, he faced more legal trouble — pleading no contest to cocaine possession and soliciting a prostitute, and enduring probation violations that included arrests on his 40th birthday. He ultimately served 11 months in the Florida state prison system and was finally released in 2003.
But there was a pivot — a spiritual turning point that would redefine the man behind the stats. Strawberry encountered Jesus Christ in 1991, but it took years for his faith to anchor him. A key figure in his journey was Tracy, a born-again Christian who had her own battles with addiction. Together, they found a shared path to sobriety and purpose. Their partnership evolved into Strawberry Ministries, a ministry dedicated to helping addicts, teens, and communities find hope through faith. He describes it simply: “This experience has deepened my faith and commitment to working for His kingdom as a true follower of Jesus Christ.”
The latest chapter arrived in a phone call from the White House. President Donald Trump personally called Strawberry to announce a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-pardon-strawberry-mets-drugs-tax-evasion-cf64f71f89461b61c1424daf7e5c2dd9">full pardon </a>for his past tax and drug offenses, citing his post-career sobriety and Christian ministry. Strawberry shared the moment on Instagram, describing the surreal conversation: sitting at home caring for his wife, half-asleep, and suddenly hearing Trump’s voice praising his baseball career and granting him a full pardon. “Overwhelmed with gratitude,” Strawberry wrote, “thanking God for setting me free from my past, helping me become a better Man, Husband and Father.”
Last year, at 62, Strawberry continued to face life’s hurdles. He <a href="https://cbn.com/news/health/baseball-star-darryl-strawberry-points-gods-amazing-grace-after-surviving-heart-attack?utm_source=chatgpt.com">suffered a heart attack,</a> yet emerged with his faith intact, praising God for another chance at life. The Mets, too, have honored him: Strawberry is one of 10 former Mets to have his number retired by the team. The others include legendary Yankees manager Casey Stengel, who became the Mets’ first manager; former manager Gil Hodges, who led the “Amazin’ Mets” to their first World Series title in 1969; Willie Mays; Tom Seaver; Jerry Koosman; Mike Piazza; Keith Hernandez; Dwight Gooden; and David Wright.
Darryl Strawberry’s story is a testament to resilience, redemption, and the transformative power of faith.

New York Mets v Los Angeles Dodgers

Trump Pardons MLB Legend Darryl Strawberry, Whose Christian Faith Turned His Life Around

Celebrities

Darryl Strawberry

Donald Trump

Executive

New York Mets

Pardon

U.S.

Puerto Rican recording artist Bad Bunny is getting slammed for a video clip that appears to show him remaining seated during the singing of “God Bless America” at the New York Yankees game Tuesday night.
The <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2025/10/08/bad-bunny-remains-seated-during-god-bless-america/?adid=social-tw">short clip</a>, first shared with TMZ, reported as not having any common indicators of AI generation, includes the crowd singing “guide her,” which is part of the line “stand beside her and guide her.”
The U.S. Flag Code recommends standing, placing your hand over your heart, and facing the flag when “The Star-Spangled Banner” is sung, but it makes no similar recommendations for “God Bless America.” However, it is seen as a sign of respect to stand for the song during sporting events, and most individuals seated near Bad Bunny at the Yankees game are seen standing in the clip. The custom started after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when MLB started playing “God Bless America” during the seventh-inning stretch to honor first responders, victims, and the military.
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EXCLUSIVE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EXCLUSIVE</a> 🚨 Bad Bunny remained seated during &#8216;God Bless America&#8217; at a Yankees Game, video shows. <a href="https://t.co/jKOfQ4Qj3G">https://t.co/jKOfQ4Qj3G</a> <a href="https://t.co/rkP9NnGgdH">pic.twitter.com/rkP9NnGgdH</a>
— TMZ (@TMZ) <a href="https://twitter.com/TMZ/status/1976005408708763998?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The recording artist, whose legal name is Benito Ocasio, has already frustrated many Americans who believe he has disrespected the United States. Ocasio was selected to perform at Super Bowl LX in February despite previously refusing to tour in the United States due to his anti-ICE stance.
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Ocasio referred to ICE agents as “motherf***ers” and “sons of b****es” in a video he posted to Instagram.
The three-time Grammy Award-winner said during a recent interview that he didn’t book any tour stops in the United States because he was worried ICE agents would target concert attendees.
“There was the issue of — like, f***ing ICE could be outside. And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about.”
Social media users also pointed out that none of Bad Bunny’s songs are in English.
He later addressed the backlash he and the NFL received following the Super Bowl halftime announcement, advising viewers to learn Spanish if they didn’t like it.
Bad Bunny did part of his monologue in Spanish during a recent appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” The singer then switched to English, saying, “If you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn.”
There have been calls to boycott the NFL and replace Bad Bunny as the halftime performer ever since the announcement was made. 
President Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-absolutely-ridiculous-that-nfl-chose-bad-bunny-for-super-bowl-halftime-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">weighed in</a> on Bad Bunny being chosen as the Super Bowl halftime performer, saying, “I never heard of him. I don’t know who he is, I don’t know why they’re doing it, it’s crazy, and then they blame it on some promoter that they hired to pick up entertainment, I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”

Bad Bunny

Super Bowl Halftime Performer Bad Bunny Refuses To Stand For ‘God Bless America’

Super Bowl Halftime Performer Bad Bunny Refuses To Stand For 'God Bless America'

New York

New York City

Patriotism

singer

Super Bowl

The Major League Baseball playoffs are here, which means the Boys of Summer are ready to battle for the ultimate prize – those oversized, coveted World Series rings.
What better time to look back at some of the very best baseball movies ever made? Some moved us or made us laugh. Others provided powerful lessons on the sport’s cultural impact.
All are worth a rewatch this time of year — in between playoff games, of course.
<h2>&#8220;The Natural&#8221;</h2>
<div id="attachment_978629" style="width: 417px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-978629" class="wp-image-978629 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-08-53-AM-3445-407x576.jpg" alt="Robert Redford. &quot;The Natural.&quot; copyright 1984 TriStar Pictures, Inc. All Rights Reserved. IMDB." width="407" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-08-53-AM-3445-407x576.jpg 407w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-08-53-AM-3445-212x300.jpg 212w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-08-53-AM-3445-768x1086.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-08-53-AM-3445-1086x1536.jpg 1086w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-08-53-AM-3445-1448x2048.jpg 1448w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-08-53-AM-3445-scaled.jpg 1810w" sizes=" (max-width: 407px) 100vw, 407px" />Copyright 1984 TriStar Pictures, Inc. All Rights Reserved. IMDB.</div>
This 1984 keeper casts Robert Redford as an aging ballplayer attempting an unlikely comeback. Those &#8220;natural&#8221; talents helped him get this far, but his complicated past suggests that even God-given skills may not be enough. The all-star cast includes Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger, and Richard Farnsworth under the direction of Barry Levinson (&#8220;Diner&#8221;) in his cinematic prime. &#8220;The Natural&#8221; packs plenty of magical realism into the narrative, focused on redemption and our all-American passion for second acts.
<h2>“Bull Durham”</h2>
<div id="attachment_978637" style="width: 417px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-978637" class="size-large wp-image-978637" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-08-58-AM-8592-407x576.jpg" alt="Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon. Bull Durham. Copyright 1988 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved. IMDB." width="407" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-08-58-AM-8592-407x576.jpg 407w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-08-58-AM-8592-212x300.jpg 212w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-08-58-AM-8592-768x1086.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-08-58-AM-8592-1086x1536.jpg 1086w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-08-58-AM-8592-1448x2048.jpg 1448w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-08-58-AM-8592-scaled.jpg 1810w" sizes=" (max-width: 407px) 100vw, 407px" />Copyright 1988 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved. IMDB.</div>
Kevin Costner at the dawn of his legendary career. Susan Sarandon selling a sultry big-league “whisperer” like no other. A gangly Tim Robbins playing an &#8220;aw-shucks&#8221; pitcher coming into his own. There’s so much to love about this baseball rom-com, from the inspired dialogue to the bittersweet story of a minor league lifer coming oh, so close to The Show only to be upstaged by the new kid. Director Ron Shelton’s affinity for sports movies played out over multiple films (“Blue Chips,” “Tin Cup”), but he got the elixir just right with this 1988 gem.
<h2>“Field of Dreams”</h2>
<div id="attachment_978645" style="width: 417px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-978645" class="size-large wp-image-978645" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-01-AM-2743-407x576.jpg" alt="Field of Dreams. 1989. Universal Pictures. Gordon Company. All rights reserved. IMDB." width="407" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-01-AM-2743-407x576.jpg 407w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-01-AM-2743-212x300.jpg 212w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-01-AM-2743-768x1086.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-01-AM-2743-1086x1536.jpg 1086w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-01-AM-2743-1448x2048.jpg 1448w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-01-AM-2743-scaled.jpg 1810w" sizes=" (max-width: 407px) 100vw, 407px" />Field of Dreams. 1989. Universal Pictures. Gordon Company. All rights reserved. IMDB.</div>
The 1989 sports fantasy has an almost spiritual pull on audiences, particularly sports fans. And understandably so. Once again, Costner is front and center in a story that weaves the national pastime together with fathers and sons, heartland USA, and redemption arcs.
The sublime cast, including Ray Liotta, Burt Lancaster (his final big-screen role), and James Earl Jones — who gives gravitas to the ultimate baseball movie.
“If you build it, they will come.” Try fighting back the goosebumps whenever that line is uttered. If the film isn’t enough, there’s a <a href="https://www.fieldofdreamsmoviesite.com/visit">Field of Dreams movie site attraction</a> in Dyersville, Iowa, for movie lovers.
<h2>“42”</h2>
<div id="attachment_978647" style="width: 417px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-978647" class="size-large wp-image-978647" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-07-AM-3910-407x576.jpg" alt="42. Warner Bros. Legendary Entertainment. 2013. All rights reserved. IMDB." width="407" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-07-AM-3910-407x576.jpg 407w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-07-AM-3910-212x300.jpg 212w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-07-AM-3910-768x1086.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-07-AM-3910-1086x1536.jpg 1086w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-07-AM-3910-1448x2048.jpg 1448w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-07-AM-3910-scaled.jpg 1810w" sizes=" (max-width: 407px) 100vw, 407px" />42. Warner Bros. Legendary Entertainment. 2013. All rights reserved. IMDB.</div>
This overlooked 2013 film recalls one of the sport’s most impactful players. Sure, Jackie Robinson broke the “color barrier” by becoming baseball’s first black player, but it&#8217;s how he did it, with grace, class, and nonviolence in his heart, that made him an icon.
The late, genuinely great Chadwick Boseman brings Jackie to life, capturing both the player and the man behind the moment. Harrison Ford’s supporting turn as Branch Rickey, the Dodgers’ owner who took the biggest risk of his professional life by inserting Robinson into the lineup, is the film’s most welcome surprise.
Had “42” been made a few years later, it might have been stained by woke sentiments. Instead, it’s a fitting tribute to an American hero.
<h2>“Moneyball”</h2>
<div id="attachment_978651" style="width: 417px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-978651" class="size-large wp-image-978651" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-11-AM-4954-407x576.jpg" alt="Moneyball. 2011. Sony Pictures Entertainment. Columbia Pictures. Scott Rudin Productions. Michael De Luca Productions. All rights reserved. IMDB." width="407" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-11-AM-4954-407x576.jpg 407w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-11-AM-4954-212x300.jpg 212w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-11-AM-4954-768x1086.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-11-AM-4954-1086x1536.jpg 1086w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-11-AM-4954-1448x2048.jpg 1448w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-11-AM-4954-scaled.jpg 1810w" sizes=" (max-width: 407px) 100vw, 407px" />Moneyball. 2011. Sony Pictures Entertainment. Columbia Pictures. Scott Rudin Productions. Michael De Luca Productions. All rights reserved. IMDB.</div>
A movie about baseball statistics? Yawn. Not even close in this case, thanks to the fascinating source material – author Michael Lewis’ tome of the same name.
Brad Pitt stars as GM Billy Beane in the story of the 2002 Oakland A’s, a mid-tier franchise that used a new approach to field a winning team. They couldn’t outspend the Yankees or Dodgers, but by deploying “sabermetrics” they defied the game’s odds.
It’s a fascinating look at modern baseball that&#8217;s given heft by a killer cast, including Jonah Hill, Chris Pratt, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
<h2>“The Bad News Bears”</h2>
<div id="attachment_978673" style="width: 417px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-978673" class="size-large wp-image-978673" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-20-AM-9232-407x576.jpg" alt="The Bad News Bears. 1976. Paramount Pictures. All rights reserved. IMDB." width="407" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-20-AM-9232-407x576.jpg 407w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-20-AM-9232-212x300.jpg 212w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-20-AM-9232-768x1086.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-20-AM-9232-1086x1536.jpg 1086w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-20-AM-9232-1448x2048.jpg 1448w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-20-AM-9232-scaled.jpg 1810w" sizes=" (max-width: 407px) 100vw, 407px" />The Bad News Bears. 1976. Paramount Pictures. All rights reserved. IMDB.</div>
Put this one in the “They couldn’t make THAT” today Hall of Fame. Walter Matthau plays the crusty coach of a ne’er-do-well Little League team that has more fight in it than even he realizes.
What makes it “problematic?” Consider the infamous scene where Matthau’s character passes out on the pitcher’s mound after one too many brews. Or how teammates swap racial slurs as casually as relay throws.
That’s not why these “Bears” are unforgettable. The film teems with fascinating characters, from pitching whiz Amanda (Tatum O’Neal) to bad boy Kelly (Jackie Earle Haley). The championship game is a keeper, brimming with suspense and the cold realities baseball supplies. 
<h2>“Major League”</h2>
<div id="attachment_978685" style="width: 417px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-978685" class="size-large wp-image-978685" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-28-AM-5947-407x576.jpg" alt="Major League. Photo by Mirage Enterprises. Paramount Pictures. Morgan Creek Entertainment. Copyright 1989. All rights reserved." width="407" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-28-AM-5947-407x576.jpg 407w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-28-AM-5947-212x300.jpg 212w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-28-AM-5947-768x1086.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-28-AM-5947-1086x1536.jpg 1086w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-28-AM-5947-1448x2048.jpg 1448w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-28-AM-5947-scaled.jpg 1810w" sizes=" (max-width: 407px) 100vw, 407px" />Major League. Photo by Mirage Enterprises. Paramount Pictures. Morgan Creek Entertainment. Copyright 1989. All rights reserved.</div>
This 1989 corker captures the sillier side of baseball. The ensemble cast isn’t as deep as the Yankees’ Murderers’ Row, but everyone owned their parts to perfection. Tom Berenger. Charlie Sheen. Wesley Snipes. Corbin Bernsen. Bob Uecker. They’re all key elements in a seemingly inept Cleveland Indians (triggering!) franchise destined to lose enough games to spark the team’s sale.
Except they keep finding ways to win.
The comedy stays mostly faithful to the sport while doubling down on its colorful characters, crazy storylines, and underdog theatrics. Oh, and it’s relentlessly funny, even if it sparked two inferior sequels. 
<h2>“Eight Men Out”</h2>
<div id="attachment_978691" style="width: 417px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-978691" class="size-large wp-image-978691" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-31-AM-6690-407x576.jpg" alt="Eight Men Out. 1989. Orion Pictures. MGM. All rights reserved. IMDB." width="407" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-31-AM-6690-407x576.jpg 407w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-31-AM-6690-212x300.jpg 212w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-31-AM-6690-768x1086.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-31-AM-6690-1086x1536.jpg 1086w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-31-AM-6690-1448x2048.jpg 1448w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MixCollage-30-Sep-2025-09-31-AM-6690-scaled.jpg 1810w" sizes=" (max-width: 407px) 100vw, 407px" />Eight Men Out. 1989. Orion Pictures. MGM. All rights reserved. IMDB.</div>
“Major League” offered a palate cleanser a year after this sobering 1988 drama. Director John Sayles recreates the Black Sox Scandal, recalling how a pennant-winning team threw the World Series to appease the betting crowd. And, of course, earn a little scratch at a time when athletes weren’t as absurdly wealthy as they are today.
The White Sox assembled a &#8220;can’t-miss&#8221; squad of stars, but the persnickety owners refused to reward them for an unforgettable season. Enter some opportunistic gamblers who give key players an offer they should refuse, but don’t.
The strong cast includes D.B. Sweeney, John Cusack, and, yes, Charlie Sheen.
It’s baseball’s darkest hour, a cautionary tale that has kept the sport (mostly) clean ever since. We’ll leave the Barry Bonds debate for another day.
<h3><a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_campaign=fall40&amp;utm_content=fallsale&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial">Get 40% off new DailyWire+ annual memberships with code FALL40 at checkout!</a></h3>
<h2>Honorable Mention: “The Naked Gun”</h2>
No, director David Zucker’s spoof classic isn’t a baseball film, per se, though the film’s extended finale does take place during a baseball game. Lt. Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) impersonates an umpire to stop an assassination, finding himself calling balls and strikes in the process.
It’s one of the funniest moments of the film, capped by Drebin-the-umpire crying, “strike threeeee!” before the ball ever reaches the catcher’s mitt. It’s a perfectly silly baseball sequence, and one impossible not to include here.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

MixCollage-27-Sep-2025-11-41-AM-2576

The Best Baseball Movies To Watch This Postseason

Hollywood

Kevin Costner

Movies

New York Mets announcer Gary Cohen struggled to wrap his brain around the fact that Chicago Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw skipped a game to attend the memorial service for assassinated conservative commentator and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
Cohen, announcing Tuesday&#8217;s game between the Cubs and the Mets alongside former MLB player Todd Zeile, remarked on the fact that Shaw had missed a game over the weekend — one the Cubs ultimately lost to the Cincinnati Reds — and that he&#8217;d missed it to attend Kirk&#8217;s memorial service.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Mets announcers Gary Cohen &amp; Todd Zeile mindblown that Matt Shaw would skip a game to attend his close friend, Charlie Kirk&#8217;s, memorial.
&#8220;The thought of leaving your team in the middle of a race for any reason other than a family emergency really strikes me as weird.&#8221;
What&#8217;s… <a href="https://t.co/O3vkKTbQ5N">pic.twitter.com/O3vkKTbQ5N</a>
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) <a href="https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/1970943097078272094?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 24, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;I don&#8217;t want to talk about any of the politics of it, but the thought of leaving your team in the middle of a race for any reason other than a family emergency, really strikes me as weird,&#8221; Cohen said.
Zeile appeared to agree with Cohen&#8217;s assessment, adding, &#8220;It&#8217;s unusual, I think it&#8217;s unprecedented at least from my experience as a player, and I think it made it a little more unusual that it was not revealed until after it came to issue because he was thought to be in the dugout and maybe available, and was not, and that&#8217;s how it was revealed.&#8221;
Shaw defended the move, saying, &#8220;My connection with Charlie was through our [Christian] faith. And that’s something that drives me every day, the reason why I’m able to do what I do every day, and that’s something I’m extremely thankful for. I know without my faith and without the many blessings I’ve been given in my life, that I wouldn’t be here, be able to talk to you guys, able to help this team eventually go and win championships.&#8221;
Shaw said that he&#8217;d met Kirk when they lived in the same apartment complex in Arizona, and that they had been friends since. It was Kirk&#8217;s widow, Erika Kirk, who reached out and invited Shaw to attend her husband&#8217;s service.
&#8220;When [Charlie was shot], a lot of emotions came over me. I didn’t foresee that happening. I don’t know how to describe everything that happened, how I was feeling, but I will say I was tearing up pretty good,&#8221; Shaw said, describing the moment he&#8217;d learned of his friend&#8217;s death. &#8220;I had a lot of [teammates] supporting me, and that will be something I’ll remember for my entire life.&#8221;
Kirk&#8217;s chief of staff at TPUSA, Mikey McCoy, responded to Cohen by sharing video of Kirk and Shaw together just one month before the assassination.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A little over a month ago Charlie’s dream came true… he got the opportunity to walk on Wrigley Field and after &#8211; see his friend Matt Shaw hit a home run.
A month later, Charlie is gone and Matt Shaw is receiving backlash for attending his friend’s memorial.
Shame on Gary… <a href="https://t.co/pUErnV3OKb">pic.twitter.com/pUErnV3OKb</a>
— Mikey McCoy (@Michael_McCoyy) <a href="https://twitter.com/Michael_McCoyy/status/1971077867007308257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;A little over a month ago Charlie’s dream came true … he got the opportunity to walk on Wrigley Field and after — see his friend Matt Shaw hit a home run. A month later, Charlie is gone and Matt Shaw is receiving backlash for attending his friend’s memorial. Shame on Gary Cohen,&#8221; he said.
McCoy was not the only one criticizing Cohen, either.
&#8220;Last night, New York Mets broadcaster, Gary Cohen tried shaming Matt Shaw for going to Charlie Kirk’s memorial. Today, Matt Shaw went 3-4 w/ 3 runs &amp; an RBI in the Cubs 10-3 win Poetic justice,&#8221; Jon Root posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Last night, New York Mets broadcaster, Gary Cohen tried shaming Matt Shaw for going to Charlie Kirk’s memorial.
Today, Matt Shaw went 3-4 w/ 3 runs &amp; an RBI in the Cubs 10-3 win
Poetic justice 👏
<a href="https://t.co/HPJVzgqdUk">pic.twitter.com/HPJVzgqdUk</a>
— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) <a href="https://twitter.com/JonnyRoot_/status/1971081453699203575?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Matt Shaw saw his friend get shot and killed&#8230;his wife requested that he be there and Gary Cohen’s got a problem with that because the Cubs are in a pennant race?&#8221; Greg Giannotti added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;Matt Shaw saw his friend get shot and killed&#8230;his wife requested that he be there and Gary Cohen’s got a problem with that because the Cubs are in a pennant race?&#8221; &#8211; Gregg Giannotti took issue with Gary Cohen questioning Matt Shaw attending Charlie Kirk&#8217;s memorial service <a href="https://t.co/QEXL3iktsn">pic.twitter.com/QEXL3iktsn</a>
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) <a href="https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1970923443756597282?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 24, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Mets Announcer Gary Cohen was very confused that Matt Shaw of the Cubs took off a game to go to Charlie Kirk&#8217;s funeral. But had no issue with THE ENTIRE TEAM forfeiting a game for George Floyd&#8230; This is the liberal brain rot,&#8221; another posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Mets Announcer Gary Cohen was very confused that Matt Shaw of the Cubs took off a game to go to Charlie Kirk&#8217;s funeral.
But had no issue with THE ENTIRE TEAM forfeiting a game for George Floyd&#8230;
This is the liberal brain rot <a href="https://t.co/pL7aP2w0Hl">pic.twitter.com/pL7aP2w0Hl</a>
— kevin smith (@kevin_smith45) <a href="https://twitter.com/kevin_smith45/status/1971203029912477858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
A number also said that Cohen owed Shaw an apology.

Chicago Cubs v Cincinnati Reds

Mets Announcer Can’t Wrap His Brain Around Cubs Player Skipping Game For Charlie Kirk Memorial

Mets Announcer Can't Wrap His Brain Around Cubs Player Skipping Game For Charlie Kirk Memorial

Charlie Kirk

Chicago Cubs

Media

Politics

Three strikes and you&#8217;re out! Maybe not so fast anymore after Major League Baseball announced Tuesday that it will roll out a new rule allowing players to appeal to robot umpires to overturn pitches they think were incorrectly called by human umpires.
The new rule will take effect for the entire 2026 MLB season and will give each team two opportunities to challenge whether a pitch was correctly ruled a strike or ball. The pitch will then be assessed through a complex automated camera system to judge whether the human umpire was correct.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BREAKING: Major League Baseball will use the Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System (ABS) during the entire 2026 season
ABS CHALLENGE RULES:
&#8211; Each team will get two challenges and can keep them if they&#8217;re successful
&#8211; Challenges can only be initiated by a pitcher, catcher, or… <a href="https://t.co/xHkRIbHrRx">pic.twitter.com/xHkRIbHrRx</a>
— MLB (@MLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1970546182893248800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The rule to bring the Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System to the MLB was approved Tuesday by the MLB’s Joint Competition Committee. The system had previously been used in the Minor Leagues, as well as during MLB spring training and the All-Star Game.
The new rules will allow two appeals per game for each team to challenge a pitch call. Challenges must be initiated by a pitcher, batter, or catcher right after the pitch. To challenge, the pitcher will tap his hat or helmet to let the umpire know. According to the MLB, “no help from the dugout or other players on the field is allowed.”
If a game goes into extra innings, each team will get one challenge per inning if it used up its challenges in regulation.
“Throughout this process we have worked on deploying the system in a way that’s acceptable to players. The strong preference from players for the Challenge format over using the technology to call every pitch was a key factor in determining the system we are announcing today,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said.
The MLB said that the system was “powered by T-Mobile 5G network&#8221; and &#8220;uses cameras set up around the perimeter of the field to track the location of each pitch and a graphic on the scoreboard shows the result of the challenge.”
&#8220;We’ve accomplished a lot through our longstanding partnership with MLB, and the rollout of ABS — powered by T-Mobile 5G — is one of our most exciting milestones yet,” said Mike Katz, the president of marketing, strategy and products at T-Mobile. “It’s a powerful example of how we’re using our technology to help MLB innovate, while preserving the character of the game we love.&#8221;

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General

Photos have been circulating online of L.A. Dodgers pitcher Blake Treinen honoring conservative Charlie Kirk at last night&#8217;s game against the San Francisco Giants.
Treinen wrote the name &#8220;Charlie Kirk,&#8221; sandwiched between two crosses, on the side of his hat.
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Blake Treinen with ✝️Charlie Kirk✝️ on his hat tonight 🙏 <a href="https://t.co/ZKApLCDO1m">pic.twitter.com/ZKApLCDO1m</a>
— decoy (@decoyposts) <a href="https://twitter.com/decoyposts/status/1966726435466604785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
Kirk, 31, was assassinated while answering questions at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. Kirk had massive influence with young conservatives, founding Turning Point USA at just 18 years old. The conservative was known just as well for speaking openly about his faith in God as he was for talking politics.
As highlighted by The Daily Wire, Kirk was asked before his death about how he wanted to be remembered. Unsurprisingly, he pointed to his faith in Jesus Christ.
“How do you wanna be remembered? … [If] everything just goes away [and] you could be associated with one thing, how would you want to be remembered?” Kirk was asked.
“I want to be remembered for courage for my faith,” Kirk responded. “That would be the most important thing. The most important thing is my faith in my life.”
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Charlie Kirk on how he wanted to be remembered.
Question: “How would you wanna be remembered?”
Charlie: “I wanna be remembered for courage for my faith. That that would be the most important thing. The most important thing is my faith in my life.” <a href="https://t.co/fwBV9UVefc">pic.twitter.com/fwBV9UVefc</a>
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) <a href="https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/1965974414748692572?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
Treinen, too, has been outspoken about his Christian faith. When the Dodgers won the World Series in 2024, for example, the pitcher <a href="https://churchleaders.com/news/500008-god-is-absolutely-god-says-pitcher-blake-treinen-after-dodgers-win-world-series.html">said</a>, &#8220;God is absolutely good.&#8221;
&#8220;I gotta give a shout out to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for this moment, man. It’s a lot of hard work, what I’ve gone through,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;This moment is such a blessing.”
Taking on questions from the press, Treinen said it was &#8220;God&#8221; on his mind after the final game. &#8220;Everything I’ve been through, it’s just so good to be here and have this platform,&#8221; he said.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dodgers-ace-clayton-kershaw-adds-bible-reference-to-rainbow-hat-for-pride-night">Dodgers Ace Clayton Kershaw Adds Bible Reference To Rainbow Hat For Pride Night</a>

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Christianity

Los Angeles Dodgers

Religion

A father who found himself at the center of a viral home run ball dispute says he’s “still in disbelief” after what was supposed to be a special father-son moment at a Phillies game turned into a nationwide backlash.
Drew Feltwell, who grew up in New Jersey but now lives in Florida, raced over to grab a home run ball hit by Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Harrison Bader at Friday’s game hosted by the Miami Marlins. But after he gave the ball to his son, Lincoln, an irate woman dubbed “Phillies Karen” stormed over and demanded he give it to her. Eventually, Feltwell gave in and handed the ball to the woman. This sparked outrage online and led to a campaign to dox and shame her for her actions. 
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A Phillies fan retrieves a home run ball for his son and this woman is furious she did not get the ball <a href="https://t.co/kDMMJrw2R5">pic.twitter.com/kDMMJrw2R5</a>
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) <a href="https://twitter.com/JomboyMedia/status/1964136365253083609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The Feltwell family has been treated to many gifts in the wake of the baseball controversy, including a meeting with Bader, who gave Lincoln <a href="https://x.com/Phillies/status/1964152246779662478">a signed baseball bat</a>. A rep from the Marlins also gave Lincoln a bag of merchandise, and entrepreneur Marcus Lemonis <a href="https://x.com/marcuslemonis/status/1964181482672459822">wrote</a> on X that he’d be buying the family World Series tickets and an RV.
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Going home with a signed bat from Bader <a href="https://t.co/pCaXHSjLgL">pic.twitter.com/pCaXHSjLgL</a>
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) <a href="https://twitter.com/Phillies/status/1964152246779662478?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Feltwell <a href="https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/sports/mlb/philadelphia-phillies/phillies-young-fan-harrison-bader-viral-home-run-ball-dispute/4264863/">told</a> NBC10 Philadelphia that they were celebrating Lincoln’s 10th birthday. “We’re just trying to make this week about him,” he said. “I felt like super dad putting that ball in his glove and giving him a hug.”
The father said the woman began screaming at him, saying, “That’s my ball!”
“Still in disbelief that she walked down there like that,” he told the outlet. “Just trying to set an example of how to de-escalate a situation in front of my son, I guess.”
He said he later apologized to Lincoln about his decision to hand over the baseball.
“I wish I had the ball for my son to put in his room next to the bat, but if I had the ball, I probably wouldn’t have gotten the bat, so it worked out fine,” Feltwell added, saying the woman was booed out of the stadium shortly after the confrontation took place.
“I hope that ball means a lot to her,” he said.
There’s been some back and forth online over how the situation was handled, who was in the right, and whether the backlash went too far. Several people were misidentified as the woman who demanded the baseball.
A woman named Cheryl Richardson-Wagner insists she wasn’t Phillies Karen. “OK everyone … I’m not the crazy Philly Mom (but I sure would love to be as thin as she is and move as fast) …. And I’m a Red Sox fan,” she shared on Facebook.
After one rumor took hold that the Phillies fan was a Hammonton School District employee, the district also issued a statement. 
“The woman identified on social media as ‘Phillies Karen’ is not, and has never been an employee of the Hammonton Public Schools located in Hammonton, New Jersey,” the district said. “Anyone who works for our school district, attended as a student or lives in our community would obviously have caught the ball bare-handed in the first place, avoiding this entire situation!”

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