I might just turn this into a weekly thing, because every week it gets worse.
Rob Manfred has no clue what he is doing. The Giants and Dodgers wrapped a four game series in Los Angeles yesterday. One of MLB’s most storied rivalries. The next time they play? June 13th, 2025! I love that everyone plays every team in baseball now, but that is completely ridiculous. It was way better from a scheduling standpoint when they had a husband and wife create the schedule with pencil and paper.
To help Doris’ dumbass son next year with the Las Sackland Athletics, there won’t be any getaway day games in Sacramento next year. Why? It’s too damn hot. But, the pictures that the Kaval-Fisher clown show must have on Manfred have to be fantastic. Spare me with having to see those.
Rob still hasn’t been able to figure out that July 4th is a day that should have every game nationally televised with staggered starts. There’s every eye available in America, on the most American holiday Bobby…how does this not make sense to you? It’s a sitting gold mine. Baseball, BBQ’s, and Fireworks. Myself and James Brown would like a word with you.
They’re also playing around with a “rivalry week” concept. I love the idea. But when you see some of the floated rivalries, it’s as laughable as having a rain delay, nine minutes after a game starts. Props to Dylan Cease for the second no hitter in San Diego history yesterday, despite that mess.
Such storied rivalries like Atlanta vs Boston, Detroit vs Toronto, and the battle for Peoria, Arizona. Padres vs Mariners? Some teams don’t have a geographic or historical rival, I get it. But what part of Detroit and Toronto says rivalry? Ask a Seattle Mariners fan which team tries to take over their stadium every time? Toronto Blue Jays fans. That has more rivalry overtones to it than San Diego and Seattle.
Based on what we know, Bobby has a base salary of around 17.5 million. Baseball fans are getting no return on that investment at all. For 175k, I’ll write a schedule for you. A schedule that makes sense. It’s one percent of your base salary. At least sensibly I can make the schedule work better than you.
Rivalry Week should never fail to start with Dodgers/Giants, Red Sox/Yankees, and Cubs/Cardinals. Sprinkle in Phillies/Pirates, Angels/Padres, Rays/Marlins, and Astros/Rangers for some sensible and geographical flare. If we are doing that, then Nationals/Orioles should be in the mix as well as Reds/Guardians. You’ll have to take a slight football lean to this one, but Kansas City/Colorado and Detroit/Minnesota could handle four more teams. Geographically speaking, let’s add the Las Vegas/Arizona angle to it as well. Back to a football lean that covers White Sox/Brewers as well as geographically. Old school me puts Mets/Braves in this conceptual format. Mariners/Blue Jays makes a lot of sense to the people that know about the Toronto takeover attempts at T-Mobile Park. But to know that, you have to be plugged into the sport.
Sadly, our commissioner doesn’t seem to be plugged into anything. Is my rivalry week proposal perfect? Nope.The lack of teams on the west coast compared to the central and east makes it challenging. But I can promise you, nobody in the Bay Area really cares about Giants/A’s. Nobody in Detroit really cares about the Blue Jays.
Another guarantee with my schedule? The three most storied rivalries in the game, as mentioned above, always play each other to close the season out. What they don’t do? Play for the last time in July.
Manfred’s brain and ability to handle his role is starting to blackout more than televisions across the country showing games. Just think of how much more he can screw things up before 2029 when we can celebrate his departure.