Threeunassisted

MLB Uniforms Bring Many Pluses With One Minus

Over the weekend, my friend Jim texted me about how much he can’t stand the Red Sox yellow and blue uniforms. My thought on these threads appears later. Jim and I speak occasionally of the multitude of Major League Baseball uniforms and which ones stand out in a positive way for us. For the vast majority of teams’ unis, I have nothing bad to say. If I don’t bring up a certain uniform, it doesn’t mean I don’t like it. In the interest of time and space, assume that if it not mentioned, I like it. The ones I mention, I like them just a little bit more. However, there is one that is definitely a thumbs down.

It doesn’t matter the era or the players. Pinstripes rule. Credit: CBS Sports

First, the teams we follow:

The New York Yankees have the best uniforms. Hands down. Nothing beats the classic look of the pinstripes. Simplicity is beautiful. I also like being reassured that the Yankee Pinstripes will be around forever. I like the slight alternation of the road uniforms that was done a couple of years ago. They remind me of the road uniforms the team wore in the 1930’s. The Mets should never lose the classic orange and blue pinstripes. The black uniforms were a nice touch when they debuted two decades ago. The Phillies’ off white with red lettering look is a nod to their uniforms in the 1940’s and 50’s. Their classic blue with maroon caps always make me smile. All three teams have looks that bring me back to the innocence of my youth.

Let’s get the bad one out of the way. I agree with Jim. The Red Sox yellow and blue is a terrible look for a classic organization. They look more like the UCLA Bruins. than the Boston Red Sox. However, this doesn’t overlook the slick navy tops that they break out every now and then.

As for the rest (in no particular order)…

The A’s, with either their mostly green or mostly gold tops rate highly, a callback for the only other team besides the Yankees to win three consecutive World Championships. Dodger Blue, namely the white uniforms with blue lettering, is a great look. Since their inception, the Rockies have had sharp unis, such as the home white with purple pinstripes and the alternate purple ones worn for over 25 years. It always brings a smile to my face when the Orioles break out the classic orange jerseys. Their black ones are pretty cool as well. I enjoy the Twins’ home white unforms as a throwback to their days prior to the Metrodome. The Cardinals’ classic look of blue uniforms with red writing and the two birds also brings back nostalgia. The Guardians’ home whites and road grays are simple but effective. It is hard to believe that the White Sox home whites with black pinstripes and road black with white lettering began over 35 years ago. I do have one request. The Washington Nationals need to wear the uniforms of the Montreal Expos, just one more time.

Generally speaking, I am indifferent to the City Conect uniforms. I get the allure but I like the more traditonal ones that teams wear. Some City Connect jerseys are better than others. That being said, nothing beats the look and feel of a Major League Baseball uniform.

Anthony Volpe’s Return Brings Exciting Possibilities

The New York Yankees are going to the World Series.

They have made the move that will seal the deal.

Anthony Volpe has returned from Triple A Scranton.

Don’t laugh.

Anthony Volpe will lead the Yankees to the World Series. Credit: Newsday

Can’t you see it? The most maligned Yankee of the last decade is the difference between the Fall Classic and yet another early Fall exit.

After all of the verbal abuse Volpe has endured over the last two seasons, it would be fitting that he plays a big role in securing the Yanks’ second World Series berth in three years. Not too long ago,Volpe won a Gold Glove for his work at shortstop as a rookie while clubbing 21 home runs. It seems nothing has gone right for him since his grand slam during the 2024 World Series. Defensive miscues and dreadful plate appearances contributed to a number of boos at home games and villification on sports talk radio. It appeared that the only folks who continued to believe in him were Brian Cashman, and, if you pay attention to AI videos, his stepfather, Aaron Boone. The organization finally couldn’t endure anymore subpar play and sent him away in favor of George Lombard Jr. who, if you consume enough YES, had the greatest debut in Yankees’ history.

Picture the scene. It is the top of the 9th inning in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. The place: Tropicana Field. Bryan Baker, who is five for five in save opportunities in the playoffs for the Rays, is on to send Tampa to the World Series. The Yanks trail 4-3 and are down to their final out with Vople coming to the plate. However, Lombard, Jr stands at second base with Jasson Dominguez on as a pinch runner at first. Yes, that Jasson Dominguez, another formerly untouchable prospect who also found himself on the outs. Well, he is about to have his own Dave Roberts moment.

Ah, look at the prospects all grown up now.

The count is full. Baker’s sixth pitch is drilled to the left center field gap by Volpe. Lombard, Jr. scores easily and after stumbling, Dominguez, making his first appearance in the series does his best Sid Bream impersonation by chugging around third base and just beating the relay by Taylor Walls. The Yanks take a 5-4 lead.

But wait, there is more.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, David Bednar is trying to hold it down. Junior Caminero is on first base with two outs. Liam Hicks lifts a ball to dead center field. Spencer Jones goes back on the ball, but trips on his shoelaces. As luck would have it, the ball bounces right to him as he stands up. Jones makes a beautiful throw to Volpe who, in turn, fires a strike to Austin Wells who applies the tag to Caminero.

Aaron Boone’s stepson did it! The biggest inning of his life propels New York to its 35th World Series!

The preceding blog was written with a dash of exaggeration. That being said, don’t be surprised if Anthony Volpe has a big hit or two this October.

Football Arrives, But Baseball Never Leaves

I write this post on a beautiful, clear September Saturday evening. College football’s first big weekend is upon us. In four days, the NFL begins its regular season and with it, the eyes of many sports fans will transition to action on the gridiron. Baseball viewership will no doubt take a hit as fans of teams not in the playoff hunt, as well as millions of other spectators, start to dream of touchdowns and interceptions and leave behind home runs and strikeouts.

Bo knows that in our house, baseball does not take a back seat to football. Credit: Medium

In our humble home, baseball still rules.

The one that has the most incentive to bail is Matthew. After all, the Mets have been lost for months and his favorite football team, the Detroit Lions, are Super Bowl contenders. Yet there he is, keeping track of the prospects the Mets received last month and locked in on the possiblity of Carson Benge finishing strong in Rookie of the Year voting. Caitlyn doesn’t want to root for a football team as she gets stressed out enough about the Phillies. Adding an NFL franchise to the mix might break her. Ryan is optimisitic about this campaign for the New York Giants and John Harbaugh as coach. However, a World Series victory for the Yankees would be his sports nirvana. As for me, the Dallas Cowboys are due for a deep playoff run. However, summer is my favorite season and baseball is my favorite sport. All things being equal, Yankees trump Cowboys, no matter if Dallas is “America’s Team” and football is king in America.

Football will be televised in our house. We do enjoy watching the games. Chris Rose narrating highlights on Sunday nights is the perfect nightcap to a day of action. But in our household, there is no substitute for Major League Baseball.

I Would Rather Lose to the Red Sox Than the Astros in the Playoffs

As a fan of the New York Yankees, I have always been told to hate the Boston Red Sox. Although it is virtually impossible for me to tuly hate anything, I still have a strong dislike for the Sox. That being said, to show you how little I can hate, I was actually not livid with the events of the 2004 playoffs. I had an uncle who was a lifelong Boston fan pass away shortly after the 2004 World Series ended. I was happy to know that he could leave this Earth and have seen a championship by his beloved Red Sox. After that is a different story. Boston would go on to capture World Series titles in 2007, 2013 and 2018. That is more prolific than the Yankees’ single championship in 2009 during this stretch. Let’s also not forget playoff defeats absorbed by the Yanks at the hands of the Sox in 2018 and 2021. In short, there is not much to like about our New England neighbors.

I can’t stand the Astros in the playoffs. Credit: UPI

So why do I have that wacky headline?

Let’s start by rewinding one year to last season’s Wild Card round. The Yanks beat the Red Sox in three games, snapping a three series playoff losing streak. That’s one reason. Another is that I have over 40 years of watching this rivalry with much of my formative years witnessing the Yankees coming out on top. A loss to Boston in 2026 would not nearly be stinging as it was in 2018. By my count, I still have 1978, 1999 and 2003 playoff victories to visualize, plus a bunch of World Series titles in my back pocket.

A loss to the Astros? Unacceptable.

The next time the Yankees beat the Astros in a playoff series would be their first time. The Astros have been to three World Series over the last nine years. On each occasion Houston found themselves in the Fall Classic, they ended up beating the Yankees in the ALCS. The Astros of 2026 remind no one of those teams. Yet, here they are leading the American League West after being nine games under .500 at the end of May. Jose Altuve is my age. No one named Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez are throwing strikes. George Springer is not around to swat a big home run. You have Yordan Alvarez mashing all pitchers and Josh Hader throwing darts to close out games. That’s it. How can the Yankees, even without Aaron Judge, lose another ALCS, or even a divisional round to this group?

If last week is any indication, the threat is very real. Houston won two out of three games at Yankee Stadium.

It is time for the New York Yankees to bury the Houston Astros once and for all. Erase all of the postseason demons that we can’t seem to shake. Beat this organization for the first time in five playoff tries. I feel my blood pressure rising at the very thought of having another season ended by those orange uniforms. Losing to the Red Sox is problematic. Losing to the Astros is catastrophic.

End of August Brings Renewed MLB Interest

This has been a strange Major League Baseball season for me. When I say strange, I mean that I hadn’t been as locked in as I had in previous seasons. Sure, I knew how each of our teams were playing from a high level. The Yankees got out to their usual hot start. The Mets were cooked in April. The Phillies turned back to 2022 and fired their manager to save their season. Though I watched our teams play, I just didn’t seem into it. I definitely slacked off in following the rest of the league. For that, there are a number of reasons why I wasn’t my usual, chipper baseball self for much of this season.

Me after realizing how much I love baseball. Credit NY Daily News

Ryan graduated college, and we are currently sprucing up downstairs for his new living quarters. Caitlyn (with me as her instructor) was focused on getting her driver’s license. Matthew had basketball here, there and everywhere. The Knicks had their magical championship run. Optimum took away MLB Network so there were no more mornings with Quick Pitch. I allowed myself to be distracted by Instagram reels and whatever else was competing for my time online. What a waste. I barely had enough time to write (which I didn’t). For a while, the only thing I had going was the Family attending Citi Field with Caitlyn finally getting to see the Phillies win in person. However, as the calendar turned to August, there was something that brought back the old me and I was reminded why I loved consuming the great game of baseball.

We happened to be in Wildwood on vacation on August 3, the day of the trading deadline. It also happened to be the only day we did not go to the beach as it rained most of the most of the morning and into the afternoon. We spent the entire day trying to find the latest trade information and speculating what each of our teams was going to do. I have always been working on trade deadline day and the fact that I was able to focus solely on baseball news made me extremely happy. Since our return from vacation, I have seen more highlights, read more news and have found more ways to be connected to MLB.

I found a way to sync my phone to the TV on the MLB app. This has allowed me to watch games on MLB Network and view condensed games that I otherwise would not see on my phone. While painting, I have used the app to listen to whatever game is on at the moment. MLB Trade Rumors is a great site and is not just for transaction information. In fact, as I write this, I have the Yankees-Astros game on TV and the Mets-Brewers contest on my phone. Later, I will end up watching the Phillies-Mariners condensed game highlights. I am so jacked up, I just might really go full baseball love and buy the latest Topps baseball card set!

As August closes, it’s good to see two of our three teams in playoff contention. The Mets are still fun to watch because the team is playing well and they have a boatload of new faces. The best part about this is the Family (with one exception) is just as amped for baseball to be around as I am. I suppose we should cherish these last six weeks of the season as the game might not be here for much of 2027. That’s too far down the road. Right now, I am going to enjoy the last 35 games or so and deep playoff runs by the Yankees and Phillies.

I’m back, baby!

Finally, A Phillies’ Win For Caitlyn

June 26, 2026 will go down as a momentous day in the Lynch household. For starters, it was Caitlyn’s 17th birthday. In two weeks, she will hopefully get her driver’s license. I managed to leave work early because the family (and Caitlyn’s friend, Grace) had a big night ahead of us. We had tickets to that evening’s contest between the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies. It was Andy Green‘s first game as Mets’ manager after Carlos Mendoza was fired earlier in the day. As 9:20 PM struck, history was indeed made for our home.

After six attempts, Caitlyn actually got to see her team victorious.

It nearly started out as a laugher. After three straight hits, the Phillies grabbed a 1-0 lead. Zach Thornton appeared cooked. Pitching coach Justin Willard made a mound visit and Thornton became a new pitcher. He matched Zack Wheeler frame for frame and departed after six innings tied at 1. Unfortunately, Huascar Brazoban had a rare hiccup and the Mets anemic offense did nothing else. Once Jhoan Duran‘s pitch to Jared Young was held up as strike three, a glorious exhale came out of Caitlyn. The third time was indeed the charm for her at Citi Field as her team came out on top by a score of 2-1.

Speaking of Jared Young, Matthew and I believe he should be New York’s first baseman, both now and in the future. He was the team’s best player during the game and is actually heeding David Stearns’ mantra of run prevention. The Mets and their disastrous season will have to wait until the next post (I promise I won’t wait another eight months for the next one). This entry belongs to Caitlyn. She waited entirely too long to see her first Philadelphia victory. Now, if we can only see them win at Citizens Bank Park.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s Exclamation Point on the World Series

The end of the World Series always represents a sad time for us. Winter is coming, and with it, a long four months of the game we all love disappears from our everyday conversation. At least we sat together last night and viewed an epic Game 7. Yes, all of us (minus the wife) managed to stay up into Sunday morning (or was it a continuation of Saturday night) to watch the Los Angeles Dodgers finally claim the mantle of repeat champions. The Toronto Blue Jays made it one heck of a show but in the end, a smorgasboard of missed opportunities will haunt the team and their fans for a long time.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto is officially a World Series legend. Credit: MSN

Let’s call this year’s Fall Classic for what it was. It was a solid, bordering on excellent World Series with a thrilling finale. That’s it. There is no need to make comparisons to any series of the past, no breathless analysis of a litany of numbers telling us this was or wasn’t better than say, 1991 (it wasn’t; 1991 is the gold standard of a World Series). However, one person’s performance stands above all else and does deserve to be mentioned with all of the October legends of the past: Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Complete games just don’t happen anymore. Yet, there was Yamamoto out there in Game 2, with his team down a game already. He needed to go deep into the game just to give his beleaguered bullpen a breath. What resulted was one of the finest pitching performances we have ever seen. Yamamoto retired the last 19 batters he faced, surrendering only Alejandro Kirk‘s solo home run and walking no one as the Dodgers evened the series. Again, his team needed a big start in Game 6 to fend off elimination and again, the righty delivered with six innings of one run ball. Finally, on the very next night, he was summoned with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning in a tie game and asked to bring Los Angeles home. You know what happened. He ended up going 2 2/3 innings to finish the job and frankly, probably would have pitched another 5 2/3 innings if necessary. In my opinion, in the 11th inning, he pitched around Addison Barger and walked him, knowing he was needing a double play. He did just that getting Kirk with a jam shot that gave the Dodgers the championship. By the way, I called that entire sequence. The kids will admit to that.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s World Series performance is one that even the most hardened of baseball fans would agree is legendary. Three victories in a single World Series is remarkable and has been done now only 14 times. If you are my age and older and can’t appreciate Yamamoto’s accomplishment, I don’t know what to tell you. Cherish this moment because it might be a long time before we see something like this again.

Win This For Don Mattingly

The World Series is finally here. None of our teams are participating. It’s definitely a different vibe than last year when the New York Yankees were gearing up for their first Fall Classic in 15 years. Now we get the Los Angeles Dodgers looking for a repeat while the Toronto Blue Jays are back after a 33 year absence. On the surface, why would I root for either team? Who outside of Los Angeles wants the Dodgers to win? The Blue Jays eliminated the Yankees. I can’t pull for these teams.

Don MAttingly is why I am rooting for Toronto Credit: Sportsnet

You bet I can. Two words: Don Mattingly

If you are a Yankee fan of a certain age, Don Mattingly was your guy. He is by far the best player in franchise history to never make a World Series. Even as a coach on Joe Torre‘s staff, Mattingly missed out, starting with the 2004 collapse vs. the Boston Red Sox. Now, as the hitting coach of the Blue Jays, he gets to feel the brightest of lights. Though he no longer is a member of the Yankee organization, I want Toronto to win it for Donnie Baseball, the man with rotten luck. He made his big league debut with the Yankees in 1982, the year after the Yankees made the World Series. The playoff drought would last 14 years. In my 50 plus years on Earth, New York finished last one time. The year was 1990 and it was the season Mattingly’s back problems first reared its ugly head. After all the losing and misery, the Yankees made it back to the playoffs in 1995. He hit .417 as the Yanks lost a thrilling five game divisional series to the Seattle Mariners. Retirement beckoned and wouldn’t you know it, the Yankees went on to win four of the next five World Championships. Eventually, he got into coaching the Yankees and managing the Dodgers. You would think that between those teams, Mattingly would have made at least one World Series. You would be wrong.

Don Mattingly’s playing career lands on the doorstep of the Hall of Fame. If his teams made more than one playoff appearance, he would have been enshrined. He was the best player in baseball for a five year stretch. Injuries robbed him of more productive seasons that were to follow. He’s been knocking on the door for the chance at a championship for almost 45 years. I hope the Jays get him to the mountaintop.

Anthony Volpe’s Surgery: What Took So Long?

Today came the news that New York Yankees’ shortstop Anthony Volpe had surgery to repair a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder. The news does not come as a shock as there were rumors of an issue involving his shoulder for most of the 2025 season. However, the question is, why did it take so long for Volpe to have the surgery?

Both Anthony Volpe and the Yankees messed up his season. Credit: Sports Illustrated

The origin of this goes back to May 3rd in which Volpe heard a pop in his shoulder during a game against the Tampa Bay Rays. An MRI and X-rays revealed “good news” and, after sitting out the next contest, he returned to the lineup on May 5. You know what happened after that. Volpe’s production both at bat and in the field suffered dramatically. As the Yanks swooned during the Summer, Volpe became the face of the team’s struggles. He was booed at Yankee Stadium and vilified on sports talk radio. He rallied briefly in September after a second cortisone shot and even homered in the Wild Card round against the Red Sox. But he was miserable in the Blue Jays series, striking out 11 times in 15 at bats. Now we have to wonder, how much of his season struggles do we put on him or on the organization for not sitting him down right after the initial injury?

Perhaps Volpe said in the two weeks or so after the injury that he was fine. Once his struggles continued, the Yankees should have been the ones to make him sit down. Protect the athlete from himself, the saying goes. Instead, Volpe went out there game after game, clearly (we now know) less than 100%. His failings at the plate carried over onto the field where even routine plays became an adventure. I thought that he should have been sent down to the Minors to get a reset. The Mets did that with Francisco Alvarez. However, based on what we know with the severity of the injury, he needed a trip to the Injured List. Instead, the guy suffered every day, probably too prideful to say, “hey, I don’t think I am quite right”. Maybe he was fearful that having surgery during the season would end his season. That’s his fault for not addressing it sooner. But it is also the organization’s fault for not forcing him to take a couple of weeks off.

Sometimes, organizations ruin players. Anthony Volpe having the surgery in June would have saved him the agony of a terrible season. The injury provides a plausible explanation for his struggles. However, do we still think he is capable of being the everyday shortstop? He regressed badly in 2025. Was it the shoulder or was it the player? Thanks to the delay by both player and team, that question is difficult to answer.

Do These 3 Free Agents Re-sign With Their Teams?

The number three factors into many parts of my life. I have three kids. I am one of three siblings. My favorite number since childhood is three. I have three legs (OK that part isn’t true). As we trudge on during this offseason (those of us without playoff teams), there are three free agents, one for each of our respective teams, that made huge impacts in 2025. You know who they are; what I am going is predict the likelihood that they return to their clubs.

Will Cody Bellinger return? Credit: Sports Illustrated

Cody Bellinger: He enjoyed an extremely productive first and, perhaps only, season in the Bronx. Bellinger’s 29 home runs represented his highest output since 2019. He has defensive versatility, having spent time in left field, center field and first base, playing each spot flawlessly. He opted out of the final two years of his contract, a total of $52 million dollars. At 30 years old, Bellinger probably has one last chance to to score a big payday. The Yanks have been linked to Kyle Tucker for a while; he is also a free agent. There are some moving parts that could affect a reunion such as signing Tucker, where to put Jasson Dominguez and the possibility of a Trent Grisham return. If Bellinger opted out of a $25 million dollar deal for 2026, he has to believe he can get more on the open market. I am not sure New York will go much more and add a significant amount of years. 38% chance Cody Bellinger returns to the Yankees.

Pete Alonso: For a long time, I believed the Mets’ first baseman would not be back beyond this year. You know how the contract negations went last offseason. I thought the big celebration for Alonso after he broke Darryl Strawberry‘s club record for home runs was a, “thank you for all you have done for us” type moment. I interpreted that as the team not making a competitive offer to keep Alonso. However, as time has gone on, I have altered my thinking. The Mets have some significant money coming off the books over the next two years with Jeff McNeil due to be a free agent after 2026; Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas are done after 2027. The three young pitchers that debuted in 2025 are club controlled for the next five to six years. After the disastrous ending to the season, I can see Steve Cohen overruling David Stearns and outbidding everyone to keep Alonso. Edwin Diaz is equally as important to resign. Cohen gets it done with his big two stars. 65% chance Pete Alonso returns to the Mets.

Kyle Schwarber: The Phillies’ designated hitter picked the perfect season to hit free agency. His 56 home runs and 132 RBI’s were tops in the National League. All he has done in his four years in Philadelphia is slug 187 homers. He turns 33 prior to the start of the 2026 season and figures to ask for at least a five year deal. Do the Phillies want to pay him upwards of $30 million per season for a guy who does not play the field? The outfield isn’t an option and Bryce Harper seems to be locked into first base. Nick Castellanos is most certainly gone; the same can probably be said for Max Kepler. Philadelphia will need to address their outfield holes. What is a higher priority, right field or DH? Will they spend enough to get quality for both? I can’t picture the organization running it back with this core after two straight divisional round exits. Then again, Schwarber has become such an integral part of the team and the city that it is hard to picture him somewhere else. 53% chance Kyle Schwarber returns to the Phillies.