Passed Ball Show

10/1/2022 Passed Ball Show. John opens up this show by talking about the Boston Celtics and why they were right to suspend and likely fire Head Coach Ime Udoka, even though initially John disagreed. He then explains why the NFL, its concussion protocol, and the Miami Dolphins did their job in handling of injured Quarterback Tua Tagliavioga in spite of how YOU feel. He then compares the anticipated exit of disgraced Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver to murder and makes a case that murderers have gotten the opportunity to continue in their professions after they have served their time. John then uses the old "Sticks and Stones may break my bones" reference, then proves that words are now more of a crime than anything done in a physical nature. He then moves into his prolegomena as he mentions the recent passing of former Athletics and Yankees outfielder Hector Lopez. He then goes on a rant about conflict of interest, first about the Kansas City Athletics and their owner, Arnold Johnson- then about longtime owner and manager Connie Mack and Philadelphia. He finishes off by crediting Charlie Finley for saving the Athletics franchise and why his idea of how to handle free agency in baseball was what baseball should have used.

9-20-2022 Passed Ball Show. John makes his return to the PBS by reminding those who need to know that Barry Bonds is still the MLB single season home run leader. He talks a little bit about Aaron Judge’s season and laughs at anybody that thinks he is not the AL MVP. John then talks anout the obsession with the LA Angels MVP club. The same people that thought that Mike Trout should have won the award from 2012-2019 think Shohei Ohtani should win every year he both hits and pitches. John reminds the viewers that the Angels season went to shit because they fired Joe Maddon before talking about some of the disappointing teams in the National Football League. The Colts, Titans, and Bengals stand out and John discusses why all could miss out on playing postseason football. John then goes off on the offseason darlings of the NFL, the Denver Broncos. John laughs at all the rhetoric whether it was Russell Wilson, the offensive minded Head Coach, and all those that automatically punched Denver’s ticket to Super Bowl LVI. Finally, John talks about the obsession with the NFL Backup Quarterback, especially the rookie- just drafted QB. John reiterates that the draft class lacked talent at the position, but it will not stop pundits and fans for wanting to see the likes of Kenny Pickett, Desmond Ridder, and Malik Willis, simply because they have not played. John doubles down by stating that none of the three will be a regular starter in the NFL in three (3) years. Check back with you then

9-1-2022 Passed Ball Show. John comes back from his brief hiatus to stick up for one of the best managers in the history of Major League Baseball, Tony LaRussa. While woke baseball fans want to run him out of town, John speaks out about why he will always support the White Sox manager. John then questions whether Albert Pujols will return to MLB next season, in spite of his decision to call it quits after the 2022 baseball season. Would he retire if he hit 699 home runs? 698? 697? John then spends a little time talking about the Baltimore Orioles and how their organizational talent has impact their parent club. He declares the turning point to their season when they brought up Adley Rutschman, comparing his arrival to that of Tom Seaver to the Mets in 1967. He then declares that the change in culture (from losing to winning) of the Mets was when they signed Starling Marte for similar reasons to Rutschman, and of course to a much greater extent, Seaver. John finishes off this version of the program by talking about Aaron Judge and his quest for 60 home runs and whether the Yankees have the balls to play hardball when it comes to negotiate his next contract.

8-8-2022 Passed Ball Show. John starts out by making four basic declarations, all of whom are true. He then gets into the perception that bad baseball teams should trade valuable players to contenders regardless of what the return is. John cites the Colorado Rockies and Daniel Bard, a player whom the Rockies obviously valued more than what other teams were willing to give up to obtain him. John hates the publicly declared "buyers and sellers" and believes each team should do whatever it believes is the best for the ballclub going forward, not what "you" think they should do. John then calls out national "rub and tugs" and wonders why few seem to care that there are massage parlors that also offer services such as masturbation assistance and "happy endings." John would figure that those outraged over Deshaun Watson's behavior would have a problem with these places, that exist all over the country and the world. John finishes off this program by letting out his frustration with baseball catchers who now throw the ball around the horn on third out strike three as opposed to simple rolling the ball out to the mound.

7/10/2022 Passed Ball Show. John spends this program complaining about those obsessed with the possession of a baseball at a ballgame. People embarrass themselves daily for their pursuit of something that John even questions whether it has any value to it. Grown adults make complete fools of themselves just to possess a baseball. John then gives a couple reasons the Carolina Panthers traded for Baker Mayfield, the most important being newly drafted quarterback Matt Corral not being signed. John explains why Corral, Malik Willis, and Desmond Ridder have not signed yet, blaming the media for hyping them up as first round draft picks when they clearly were not. Finally, John makes a reasonable claim that Kevin Durant may very well remain in Brooklyn for this next NBA season and explains why.

6-27-2022 Passed Ball Show. John opens up this program by highlighting some of the underrated closers in Major League Baseball this season (in 2022). He then laughs at all the teams’ fans that believe their team will be best suited to acquire Chicago Cubs relief pitcher David Robertson. John’s first prediction of the show is the statement that Robertson will be traded for a team’s top ten (10) prospect. John then talks about the fight between the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Angels. John talks about how an actual baseball fight, not the dog and pony show we see very often, is more entertaining than on the field action in baseball over the last couple of years. After congratulating the Colorado Avalanche on their third (3rd) Stanley Cup, John reminisces about the Quebec Nordiques and the original Winnipeg Jets (1979-1996) and wonders if the NHL missed out on its last expansion by not adding another Canadian team. John then talks about the Deshaun Watson case and his eventual suspension and the futures of Baker Mayfield and Jimmy Garoppolo, who everybody assumes are going to either Seattle or Carolina. John makes his second prediction when he states Baker Mayfield will still be a member of the Cleveland Browns Week One (1) of this coming NFL season.

6-25-2022 Passed Ball Show. John spends this program talking about Major League Baseball’s arbitration system and how very little constructive things come out of an arbitration hearing. John is lost for words when it comes to the Atlanta Braves choosing to go to arbitration with ace starting pitcher Max Fried over $250,000. John talks about the airing of dirty laundry and the personal elements and what arbitration cases do to the relationship between the player and the team. John then congratulates the New York Yankees and their agreement with Aaron Judge to a contract for the 2021 season that avoided arbitration. John expresses his fear that the “Yankee Brand” and the “Yankee Way” could get in the way of Judge receiving the longterm contract he deserves. John gives some examples of some differences between the free agent market now and what it was during the time of say, Derek Jeter’s and Bernie Williams’ free agency. John concludes his points by stating the Yankees still never miss out on a player they truly want, ie. Gerrit Cole, Masuhiro Tanaka. John then spends some time talking about the struggles of the now 0-35 Empire State Greys of the Independent Frontier Professional Baseball League. He compares their incompetence to the 1899 Cleveland Spiders, though he gives legitimate reasons the latter was so bad. John then celebrates the latest NBA draft by talking about his fascination with parity balanced with his intrigue with dominance (dynasties).

6-21-2022 Passed Ball Show. John opens up this program by congratulating Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors on their seventh (and fourth in the last eight years) NBA Championship. John was critical of Green’s performance in Games One (1)- Four (4), but the all around team leader was strong in Game Five (5) and elite in Game Sox (6). John then discusses the season ending injury to Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon and spends some time talking about the recent (last 10-12 years) history of the Angels giving out bad contracts. John mentions specifically the deals they gave Rendon, Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, Justin Upton, and CJ Wilson and the fact that none of them worked out favorably for Los Angeles. Is it the fault of the team for giving said bad contracts? Hindsight says it is. Was Rendon worth $245 million over seven (7) years? Maybe not, but he was due a big contract based off his performance in Washington. There was a market for Rendon’s services and the Angels outbid the other teams for him. Pujols’ contract does not look good in hindsight, but how does one explain not giving him that big of a deal coming off the run he had over his eleven (11) seasons in St. Louis? John questions some of the blame that is often thrown on a team that signs a player to a contract that ends up not working out. At what point is it the responsibility of the player to perform to a close enough level to their past? Depreciation is understandable, but the dropoffs of some of the Angels players, particularly Hamilton and Upton, could not have been predicted. John makes some similar points about Jason Bay and a minor point about Carl Pavano before discussing the parameters of Shohei Ohtani’s next contract. First, John talks about how the Angels cannot let their past bad signings impact their expected investment in Ohtani. Secondly, John breaks down Shohei’s value as both a top of the rotation starting pitcher and as a middle of the order bat wondering if he should get paid for both. Or each separately? This, of course, is assuming Ohtani can perform the duties of two specific (and different) players over the course of the next decade. John finishes off the program by proposing a lengthy (between 10-12 years, maybe more) contract to keep the average annual value down, similar to the deal that Ilya Kovalchuk got when he signed a long term deal with the New Jersey Devils, albeit one that the players did not fulfill the obligations of.

6-13-2022 Passed Ball Show. John opens up this program by mentioning he would like to see the Tampa Bay Lightning win their third straight Stanley Cup Finals and how he is seeing a totally different way that Draymond Green is going to cost the Golden State Warriors a NBA Championship. John spends the bulk of this program talking about the Court of Public Opinion and the fact that it has been against Tony LaRussa since the day he was hired for the second (2nd) time as manager of the Chicago White Sox. There has been a cult that has wanted him to fail from the beginning in a time where baseball’s manager has changed responsibilities. John talks about the hypocrisy when it comes to fans, who want a manager to have the balls to do what he feels is right in a sport that follows a game plan created by the front office. LaRussa did that, of course to the worse of consequences, but he did go against the grain and likely did not follow the game plan. John spends the last part of show talking about selective cheating in MLB and how catchers’ framing and the left handed pitchers’ privilege as they are allowed to balk the ball to first base when throwing out a leading baserunner.

6-8-2022 Passed Ball Show. John opens up this program by reminding the viewers about the two MLB managers that have been let go in the past five days. He talks about what they have in common- proven MLB managers, those who have in the past had more autonomy when it comes to game planning. John talks about the lack of patience MLB teams have with proven managers now, as it seems a proven MLB manager will only be hired with the expectation of only "win now." John believes that proven MLB managers will have to now succeed at all costs if they expect to survive in the game today, one that John claims is leaning towards the checklist followers that simply listen to the front office's game plan. John then calls out now former Utah Jazz Head Coach Quin Snyder for quitting on his team, which may result in the team being completely reconstructed. He finishes by comparing Snyder to College Football Head Coaches Lincoln Riley, Brian Kelly, and Mario Cristobal, all of whom turned their back on young men that had committed themselves to them.