12-14-2019 Passed Ball Show.

John opens up this version of the program by talking about how the New York Mets are in a business of saving money. They continue to put up the front that they have to reduce payroll if they are to make the necessary additions they need to make to compete with the best teams of the National League. Yet, they did not pay Yoenis Cespedes almost half of his contractual obligations for 2019. The Mets have used the Cespedes contact as an excuse of why they cannot afford other upgrades, yet they were not paying him in the first place. In spite of saving $20 million in having to pay Cespedes this coming season, they STILL claim they need to move a $10 million or so contact (Jed Lowrie or Jeurys Familia) if they are to have the financial ability to address the worst bullpen in Major League Baseball. The Mets answer to improving the worst bullpen in baseball is to send out the same exact relievers. What is the definition of insanity? John then talks about the Baseball Hall of Fame and how its voting process and choices of exclusion are different from Pro Football and Pro Basketball. Did OJ Simpson and Pete Rose dominate a sport enough to warrant inclusion in its respective Hall of Fame? Yes. Did anything they did (or did not do) after their playing career was over have anything to do with what they did when they played? No. Why is Pete Rose not in Baseball's Hall of Fame for what he did as a player? Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens (and anybody else suspected of using performance enhancing drugs) would get a more fair trial if they were being accused of a heinous crime. John gives a different take, though, when it comes to the career of Will Clark. While John does not back down from his support of the "steroids era" players getting enshrined in its Hall of Fame, he does feel for a player like Will Clark. Clark was as good as Rafael Palmeiro, but chose to not use PED's. Will Clark's accomplishments are not given the credit they deserve because of Palmeiro, because of Mark McGwire- two players that would be considered Clark contemporaries. Finally, in the Nobody's Listening segment of the show, John talks about the "R" word, and even though it should not be used, the context and intention should be considered before the PC police eats them alive. A statement of such should not be grounds for termination and definitely should not lead to somebody being given future employment