BaseballBiz On Deck

Baseball Assistance Team (B.A.T.) helping those in need

• Erik Nilsen, Executive Director of the Baseball Assistance Team (B.A.T)
• Mark talks about Players aiding others, David Price, Nelson Cruz and then discovering B.A.T.
• Origin: B.A.T. began under Peter Ueberroth, Commissioner of Baseball in 1986
• Baseball Assistance Team helps people in the Baseball community with a short term bridge
• Applicants include, players, coaches, minor leaguers, clubhouse employees, widows, 
• During natural disasters B.A.T has provided a short term bridge for people in need with housing, medical expenses, food, utilities, prescriptions & funeral expenses 
• Tim McDowell leads program on Mental Health & Addiction program helping to pay for rehab & therapists
• Expanding Reach with Minor League consultants in Panama, Puerto Rico, West Coast, East Coast and around the world
• Covid Pandemic increased need resulting in over 1200 applications to B.A.T. for aid
• MLB pays for B.A.T. salaries & expenses so all B.A.T. contributions go directly to those in need
• Main source of funding is from Major League Baseball Players contributions through payroll deductions 
• Many B.A.T. employees have a history in baseball and have a greater understanding of those in need within baseball
• Financial counseling & also work with Direct Path to give applicants a way to minimize their medical costs
• Aiding former players integrate back into society after their careers with consulting & finding job opportunities
• Adam Jones & Gary Thorne help with scholarship program for degrees & vocational schools
• Andy Lane story – B.A.T. aided the Lane family with the health and development of their son Jackson  
• Ability to impact lives & making a difference
• Funding & demand – Players’ generosity is the majority of where their funding comes from
• Fans can participate and make donations or participate in auctions Signed jerseys & memorabilia auction for Fans
• B.A.T. Application process 
• Where is the greatest need?  
  loss of income, medical emergencies, addiction, disasters & families in need

Thank you to Erik Nilsen & The Baseball Assistance Team for being a lifeline to those in the baseball community

If you know someone in need or just want to know more you can reach out to B.A.T. at [email protected] or speak to them directly Monday -Friday at 212-931-7822 where they have a bi-lingual staff who can answer your questions.
https://www.mlb.com/baseball-assistance-team

Special Thanks to Erik Nilsen for sharing the story of the Baseball Assistance Team

 BaseballBiz can be found on iheartradio, Stitcher, Apple, Spotify & Google podcasts &
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Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music "Rocking Forward"

Minor League settlements, Flying Hot Dogs, Bat Boys & The Law

The Honorable Lou Schiff,  Judge in Broward County Florida. A Marlins fan who is also a professor who teaches a course on Baseball and the Law at Mitchell Hamline School of Law
Part 1 of the Lou Schiff interview can be found here

• Lou has a variety of special professional guests for his class
  • Bob Whitsitt – GM & President of several teams including Trail Blazers & Seattle Seahawks
  • Melissa Ludtke, Sports Journalist – won lawsuit be allowed in MLB locker rooms. @MelissaLudtke
  • Adam Hanson, Attorney & former Twins Bat Boy for for 11 years @adam_hanson1 
  • Stew Thornley – Official Scorer for Twins & helps write the explanation of the rules for MLB and on appeals committee for scoring decisions @stewthornley
  • St. Paul Saints – most wonderful hosts
• Minor Leagues
  • Treatment of Minor Leaguers & 185 million dollar settlement
  • Manfred believes Minor Leaguers are not mistreated
  • Minor Leaguers are asking for more. 
  • Not an internship. This is a job.
  • They are asking for more than just PBJ sandwiches & 400 mile bus rides
  • Tom Whaley attorney for Twins, CHS on building a community ball park with state & private funds. 
•  St Paul Saints, Twins Affilate, are drawing 8,000 attendance @StPaulSaints
•  Minnesota NICE
• Derek Jeter, The Captain & ESPN – will they cover his time with the Marlins? 
• Freddie Freeman’s agent defamation suit – Can agent be considered a public official or a private person. 
• The Baseball Rule – assumption of risk when you buy a ticket. 
•  Flying hot dog liability? 

Special Thanks to Lou Schiff for sharing his knowledge, stories and experience with the @TheBaseballBiz audience.

You can find Lou daily on Twitter @BaseballandLaw

Part 1 of the Lou Schiff interview is here 

 BaseballBiz is also on iheartradio, Stitcher, Apple, Spotify & Google podcasts &
@TheBaseballBiz on Twitter 
 
We welcome you to like, subscribe and remark about BaseballBiz.
Let us know your thoughts about the show.
Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music "Rocking Forward"

The Honourable Lou Schiff visits and we talk about the
Marlins Moments of Greatness & Great Mediocrity

• Sandy Alcantara needs some help from the Marlins bats
• Joey Wendle & Jorge Soler we expect more
• Jon Berti is fast but still on IL with Jazz Chisolm
• What about the catching
• Garrett Cooper’s batting is falling
• Marlins are exactly where they should be.
• Bouncing around .500
• Even Orioles are above .500
• Avi Garcia is fast in the outfield
• Will the Marlins bring up Max Meyer or will they wait until 2023
• How do you catch the Phillies?
• Mets best 125 game team is in the lead
• MLB teams firing their managers is that a solution?
• Marlins are 5.5 games out of being in a playoff spot
• Down on the farm – Marlins
• Miami’s draft – Jacob Berry brings a strong batter to the program
• Luke Williams helps out, Billy Hamilton brings some speed
• Marlins Season ticket Holders will have tickets to World Baseball Classic
• Craig Calcaterra’s Rethinking Fandom – People Cheer for Players
• Miami, Heat, Dolphins, Hurricaines & Panthers making it work with the fans
• No Dynasties in baseball
• ASG – Dodgers, Clayton Kershaw starting for NL, Marlins, Sandy Alcantara starts 2nd inning
• Marlins have lost (20) 1 run games – no consistency in hitting
• Baseball and the Law part 2 will come out in the next BaseballBiz episode

Part 2 of this episode covers more of Lou's adventures into the Law of Baseball and his recent experience with the St Paul Saints Baseball organization

You can find Lou Schiff daily on Twitter @BaseballandLaw
BaseballBiz is also on iheartradio, Stitcher, Apple, Spotify & Google podcasts &
@TheBaseballBiz on Twitter 
Please like, subscribe and remark. Let us know your thoughts about the show.
Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music "Rocking Forward"

• AL East Hot Topics, Tampa Bay Rays, Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles, Blue Jays, Charlie Montoyo firing 
• Jonathan India, cornerstone for the Reds – one that the Rays pursued
• The Rays are the Mystique of the X-men change to a new shape when needed
• Brandon Lowe took a solid hit to the helmet last week in the Minors, we expect him to be back soon.
• Moving the pieces as players come up and go down 
• Strong main players that are out Zunino, Lowe, Franco, Kiermaier & Margot
• Christian Bethancourt good framer for the Rays 
• What will the team look like at the Trade Deadline?
• Will addition of Yu Chang make Brujan a good trading piece?
• Christian Bethancourt & Francisco Mejia experience playing together in Winter League
• Yandy Diaz is invaluable at the plate. The Rays need more like Yandy
• Playing time for Ji-man Choi has been reduced. What gives?
• Isaac Paredes has been a great trade for Austin Meadows
• Competition breeds excellence with the Rays – Jonathan Aranda and others fight to stay in the show
• Will Wander Franco walk the injury path like Aaron Judge?
• Corey Kluber can be the man whose hands steadies the Pitching
• As trade deadline approaches where will the Rays buy or trade 
• Rehab guys who we look forward to seeing again Yonny Chirinos, Andrew Kittredge, Nick Anderson, and Cody Reed
• Alexis Diaz could be an ideal piece for the Rays
• Shohei Ohtani trade would elevate the Rays to a new presence 
• Rays MiLB players shine, @KyleTMazardo, @TajBradley, Willy Vasquez, & Orlando Barrios named 
• Pitchers and Players of the week in their respective leagues - Taj Bradley will be a key pitcher for the TBRays future. We could see him in August or September with the Rays 
• How will firing Blue Jays manager, Charlie Montoyo impact their players
• Mat points out that Blue Jays do not have the depth to advance to the playoffs Ryu & Kikuchi have not proven worthwhile. 
• Tyler Glasnow may return this season and could get limited play as a relief pitcher or closer in the post-season

Special Thanks to Mat Germain  @Mat_Germain­_ on Twitter for his insights, analysis and news on the Tampa Bay Rays
Also special thanks to @SportsBlitzPod for the heads up on Charlie Montoyo

BaseballBiz is also on iheartradio, Stitcher, Apple, Spotify & Google podcasts &
@TheBaseballBiz on Twitter 
Please like, subscribe and remark. Let us know your thoughts about the show.
Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music "Rocking Forward"

Brandon Noe @SportsBlitzPod brings us his week's MLB Breakdown by each division 

•  AL East Standings
• Yankees – A Legendary Year
• What is Aaron Judge worth? $19 million or more.
• A few of our AL EAST All-Star candidates 
• Tampa Bay Rays - Shane McClanahan
• Blue Jays – Alejandro Kirk or Alek Manoah
• John Vampatella – recent interview on Boston & AL East Beast 
• Red Sox – Rafael Devers               
• MLB All-Star game ballots
• AL Central
• Twins Hitting Coach leaves mid-season for a more lucrative deal at LSU
• Sam Flood announces special July 3rd Peacock MLB game without announcers
• Historic Keeneland race course without announcers
• Hitting MUTE button and finding alternative sources (radio) for the game.
• AL West
• Angels & Mariners series
•  Mike Trout, Winker & Head Hunting Angels & Mariners donnybrook
• Archie Bradley injured during the brouhaha
• The only thing missing during this series was 2 teams with good records
• Oakland A’s 
• Denied Aaron Judge a hit with 4 plate appearances.
• A’s made a decent showing
• A’s may be moving to Vegas minus $1 billion relocation fee
• Astros impact on Yankees
• 6 weeks without Bryce Harper with the Phillies – Thumb & Elbow repair needed
• Sandy Alcantara  - Miami Marlins – leads MLB with WAR of 4.2
• Dodger, Freddie Freeman returns to Standing Ovation in Atlanta
• Freeman contract negotiations with Braves was questionable
• What about Dansby Swanson
• What will Aaron Judge’s Free Agency look like next year- Red Sox or Mets Options?
• NL East
• Mets falling to Astros in New York
• NL Central
• Willy Adames of the Brewers visits his Tampa Ray Friends at the Trop
• Paul Goldschmidt kicking it with the Cardinals
• Dodgers leading the NL West
• Evan Longoria shining at the plate with the Giants
• Dave Roberts remarks & #MLBNetwork stir up the AL East teams & fans
• MLB All-Star game Votes

Great love to @SportsBlitzPod and his future

Very Special Thank you to Brandon Noe @SportsBlitzPod as he leaves @TheBaseballBiz and heads onto new adventures.    He will be missed and we look forward to his future revisits to the show.

Brandon Noe Goofy Gobbler & other favorite show links

2020 Goofy Gobbler
2021 Gobbler
MLB Lockout January 2022  

BaseballBiz is also on iheartradio, Stitcher, Apple, Spotify & Google podcasts
You can reach Mark @TheBaseballBiz & Brandon @SportsBlitzPod on Twitter 
Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music "Rocking Forward"

• 2022 AL East Beast
• Orioles not the Cupcakes of the past
• It is Painful to acknowledge Yankees performance this year
• Boston had a rough 10 – 19 start for the Yankees
• Fan complaints on Cashman & Aaron Boone have 
• Aaron Judge
  • 28 home runs is the lynchpin for Yankees success
  • Strong presence at the plate like Gary Sheffield & David Ortiz
  • Could the Red Sox sign Judge as a Free Agent for next year
  • John recounts Alaska Baseball League playing Aaron Judge
• Aunt Irene is a critical Yankees Fan
• How did the Red Sox rise out of the basement this year
• Michael Wacha a pleasant surprise
• Early season Boston Offense was suffering 
• Trevor Story was crazy in May
• Rotation is pretty good 
• Offense has become stronger
• Kyle Schwarber & Hunter Renfro departures
• Chaim Bloom brought in some strong prospects with Jackie Bradley Junior
• Trevor Story 
• Chaim Bloom & Pitching bringing in Rich Hill, Michael Wacha,
• Changes in the bullpen
• John Schreiber has been incredible out of the pen, dominant in relief
• Houck & Whitlock have stepped up
• Waiting for Nate Eovaldi, Chris Sale, James Paxton
• Bloom has held it together with duct tape and baling wire with the pitching staff
• Yankees have a solid 5 man rotation who have started 
• Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, Jordan Montgomery,  Luis Severino, Nestor Cortes - solid 5 man Yankee rotation 
• The 2004 WS Red Sox champions rotation did not have injury issues with their pitching staff
• 4 AL East teams could be in the 2022 MLB 12 team playoffs
• Yankees continue to manage the entire AL East division
• Tough upcoming 20 game stretch for Boston up against Yankees, Rays & Blue Jays
• Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays & Boston Red Sox
• 2021 ALCS – Houston Astros & Boston – Mark became a Boston Red Sox
• Who is your Boston Red Sox Hall of Famer – Rafael Devers
• What will Devers be able to get a great deal with Boston
• Player Health vs Contract length – remember MLB league minimum 
• Dustin Pedroia contract
• 2004 game 5 of ALCS – Manny Rivera, Pedro Martinez, Derek Jeter
• Brockton Rox – ESPN article on Amateur League filled with sons of Legends, David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez, Manny Ramirez, Gary Sheffield & Keith Foulke 
• Red Sox Minor League Worcester WooSox (formerly PawSox) looking down on the Farm for Chaim Blooms choices
• Fan Binary perspective of World Series Championship or Failure doesn’t allow some to enjoy the game
• Expanded Playoffs give more fans hope
• Mookie broke my heart but gave me a baseball memory forever
• Minor league love watching develop 
• 1980’s 3 Big East teams made the final 4. The AL East this year may be like that

John Vampatella's book "The Forgotten Game: Game 5 2004 ALCS Yankees at Red Sox"  can be found on Amazon.com

BaseballBiz is also on iheartradio, Stitcher, Apple, Spotify & Google podcasts
You can reach Mark @TheBaseballBiz & Brandon @SportsBlitzPod on Twitter 
Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music "Rocking Forward"

Locked On Pirates host, Ethan Smith & BaseballBiz meet to talk the business of the Pirates

• Front Office Changes
• Neal Huntington leaves and there is a new strategy
• Ben Cherington emphasis on putting the young guys on the field
• Enjoying the game
• Eric Neander built 
• Thank you to Pirates for Tyler Glasnow & Austin Meadows
• Meadows traded to Tigers for Isaac Paredes 
• Pirates Manager, Derek Shelton, former hitting coach for Minnesota & Tampa Bay
•  Lineups can be a bit interesting 
• Ke’Bryan Hayes leads off,   Bryan Reynolds, Jack Suwinski, Michael Chavis
• These guys really gel together
• Oneil Cruz should have come up from the Minors sooner
• Service Time manipulation? 
• Free Agency
• Aaron Judge completing his 6 years
• Bligh Madris 
• Pirates are flat out better than the Chicago Cubs
• Winning 4 of their last 5 games is a good thing
• Oneil Cruz & Bligh Madris are becoming a huge part of the offense
• Vogelbach speaks to the new blood of the team
• Pirates have called up 12 new guys this year
• Who will be the leader of this team? Ke’Bryan Hayes?
• Watching the Minors and waiting for them to come up, Rays, Wander Franco example
• Past Leadership of the Rays, Charlie Morton, Rich Hill, Nelson Cruz. This year the Rays are lacking that team leadership
• What are the Cubs doing, Sara Sanchez and Bleed Cubbie Blue
• Reds not making a difference with Rookie of the Year, Jonathan India. 
•  Will the Reds make a commitment to their team and the fans to build a better team
• NL Central, Cubs & the Reds may not getting better, the Pirates certainly have a brighter future
• The PNC Park experience 
• Pittsburgh Pirates have to compete for Steeler s & Penguins fans
• All-Star candidate – David Bednar, pitcher, closer, may be that guy
• Main 2022 goal for the Pirates – Don’t lose 100 games again
• 70 wins is possible for growth this year
• Drastic roster changes since April
• Andrew Knapp, Cole Tucker & other no longer with the team
• Big Guys in MLB making a difference Daniel Vogelbach, Rowdy Tellez, Alejandro Kirk
• Finding the unsung signings – 2021 Atlanta Braves was amazing with their mid-season trades

Special Thanks to Ethan Smith from the podcast, Locked On Pirates. Ethan can be found @mvp_EtHaN, @LockedOnPirates for sharing his insights into the world of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

BaseballBiz is also on iheartradio, Stitcher, Apple, Spotify & Google podcasts
You can reach Mark @TheBaseballBiz & Brandon @SportsBlitzPod on Twitter 
Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music "Rocking Forward"

• Mark @TheBaseballBiz visits the Louisville Bats at Slugger Field
• White Sox  affiliate Charlotte Knights v Reds affiliate Louisville Bats
• Gavin Sheets & Jonathan India faced off in the MiLB
• Baseball Family Fun, Fireworks & Fight Chants
• Support your local Minor League teams
• New York Yankees v Tampa Bay Rays
• Yankees continue to Rise
• Aaron Judge hits 25th Home Run of the year
• Gerrit Cole v Corey Kluber
• The Rays errors from Manuel Margot, Randy Arozarena
• 16 minutes lost by Umpires trying to increase the pace of play
• Sporting News article details what happened with the Umpire discussion
• Brandon @SportsBlitzPod gives the MLB Rundown
• NL East Atlanta Braves is looking good
• St. Louis Cardinals leading NL Central
• Dodgers & Padres tied for the lead in NL West
• Yankees 6th team to win 46 of their first 62 games
• Matt Carpenter is setting new personal records
• Tarik Skubal will he make All Star Game
• Joe Maddon's Mohawk did not save his Angels or his job
• What's happening in other Sports 
• NHL Stanley Cup - Tampa Bay Lightning,  

BaseballBiz is also on iheartradio, Stitcher, Apple, Spotify & Google podcasts
You can reach Mark @TheBaseballBiz & Brandon @SportsBlitzPod on Twitter 
Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music "Rocking Forward"

Mary Kitts joins Mark as we take a look at the final games of the
NCAA Women's World Series

• Watch on ESPN & more
• Mary Kitts takes a look at the 2 remaining teams
• UCLA falls
• Unseeded Texas Longhorns ascends to the finals
• Patty Gasso continues to lead her Sooners to victories

Kentucky Boubons

• Coach Cobb shares his insights into his KY Bourbons team
• Drafted by Minnesota Twins
• 5 man infield
• APSPL a new slowpitch league
• Where do you find players for a new team
• What it took to get to and win the World Series
• Bill Gatti - All American Football - UL - WFL - Best Power Hitter
• Whitlock Brothers Dave and Greg
• Billy "White Shoes" Johnson - "you got to get on base before you can steal"
• Fans shared bus with the team on the road
• Rough night in Milwaukee turns to fisticuffs - Rick Wilson warns Coach Cobb
• Butler High School great atheltic school including Braves, Adam Duvall, Jodie Mudd, Eddie Mudd & Mike Campbell
• Fall Cities Golf Tournament Champions including Chris Corbett

Thanks to Mary Kitts for sharing her expertise & enthusiasm on NCAA Division 1 Softball.
Thanks to Coach Cobb for bringing the Kentucky Bourbons back to life on our show.
BaseballBiz is also on iheartradio, Stitcher, Apple, Spotify & Google podcasts
You can reach Mark @TheBaseballBiz & Brandon @SportsBlitzPod on Twitter 
Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music "Rocking Forward"

Apologies for the technical difficulties with this one

Mark & Brandon give you each MLB divisions. Who's hot and who is not. 
Mark Kitts joins us again to talk about the upcoming NCAA Softball World Series

• 1:13  AL East Division
• 2:11 – Boston Red Sox, Nate Eovaldi pitches complete game after 210 starts
• 3:44  Tampa Bay Rays it’s Kevin Kiermaier week with lead-off Home Run as designated hitter.
• 5:00 AL Central division – Twins still leading the division
• Royals, Zach Greinke experiencing some tightness
• 6:20 – Cleveland Guardians, José Ramírez is Player of the month. 
• Can you imagine if Francisco Lindor was still with Cleveland playing with José Ramírez
• 8:53 – American League
• 9:20 Texas Rangers, Eli White is outstanding with 3 to 4 foot leap snatching potential HR from Ji-Man Choi. White continued to mark
• 10:45 – Complete Games – Framber Valdez pitches 9 innings with durability pitching over 100 pitches per game for last 3 games. Old school pitching
• 11:35 – Angels get swept losing 4 straight games at home against Blue Jays
• Syndergard suffering & Trout has troubles. Should Joe Madden be tweaking his resume
• Yankees beat Angels 9 to 1
• 14:00 NL East Mets, Marlins & Nationals 
• 15:00 – Met’s Francisco Lindor MLB May Player of  the month
• Our Mets & Padres LCS 2021 projections moved to 2022
• Francisco Lindor – NL Player of the month
• Pirates have really been shaking things up with the Dodgers. 
• 19:20 - Cardinals have won 7 of their last 10 games. 
• Goldschmidt has 20 game hitting streak & 34 on base streak.
• 19:55  - Cubs & Reds
• Tommy Pham should take his Joc Pederson complaints to the Fantasy League Commissioner Mike Trout
• Pirates steal Dave Roberts 50th birthday celebration with the Dodgers
• 23:30 – Evan Longoria hits 5 Home Runs in 6 game stretch as 3rd baseman for the Giants
• Will Longoria reach HOF status or at least the Hall of Very Good
• 25:30 Savannah Bananas selling out every game – 
•  Brett Phillips would be having loads of fun here. 
•  Rules of the Bananas – Bunting sucks, Stealing First is okay
• Baseball is played much like match play golf 
• 29:05 Brandon @SportsBlitzPod gives other sports rundown
• NHL enters into players. 
• Greatest goalie in the world, Andrei Vasilevskiy is the best
•  NASCAR moves to Portland & St Louis soon
• 31:04 NCAA WCWS Softball World Series with Mary Kitts
• Potential champion – Oklahoma & Northwestern
• 3 unseeded teams Texas, Arizona, Mississippi State and Oregon State have defeated seeded teams
• Florida took down Virginia Tech
• How do teams advance in Softball post season, Conference Championships, Regionals, Super Regionals
• You can watch NCAA Softball WCWS this week on ESPN

Thanks to Mary Kitts for sharing her expertise & enthusiasm on NCAA Division 1 Softball.
 
 BaseballBiz is also on iheartradio, Stitcher, Apple, Spotify & Google podcasts
You can reach Mark @TheBaseballBiz & Brandon @SportsBlitzPod on Twitter 
Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music "Rocking Forward"