This Week

• ⚾️ The First Pitch

• 🧢 Good, Bad, Ugly

• 🧦 Holy Sox!

• 🏃‍♂️ Marathon Man

• 🐶 Best in Show

• 🖼️ Art of Framing

• 🧢 Coach’s Korner

• ⚙️ Gearin’ Up

• ⁉️ They said what?

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Spider-Man Lives—and He Plays Center Field for the A’s

Don’t believe it? You have to see this catch.

Athletics rookie Denzel Clarke is making plenty of highlight reels, but his latest in Anaheim was his best yet—scaling the wall and stealing a home run from the Angels’ Nolan Schanuel.

Timed. Tracked. Snatched.
Absolute robbery.

The look on Schanuel’s face was priceless.

Yes, Spider-Man lives—and he wears green and gold.

Atlanta, we have a problem.

The Braves—yes, those Braves—are unraveling fast. Just 3 wins in their last 10 games. Fourteen games back. A team built to contend now looks completely lost.

What’s gone wrong? No pitching and no hitting and some injuries. That’ll do it.

It’s so bleak in Braves Country you start to wonder… could they actually become sellers at the deadline? Once unthinkable. Now? Not so crazy.

😬 The First Pitch that Went Full WWE

This was ugly.

Thursday at Citi Field, WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton brought the glam—but not the aim. Her pitch sailed way over the catcher’s head, missed everything (including a group of photographers), and smacked the backstop. No injuries—just a stunned Jared Young sprinting to retrieve it. Stratton took it like a champ, comparing her wild toss to 50 Cent’s now-legendary disaster. So ugly… it was almost good.

🧦 Holy Sox!

Okay, we get it—our Pope is a White Sox fan.

If there were any lingering doubts about where Pope Leo XIV’s baseball loyalties lie, they vanished this week when His Holiness was spotted at the Vatican proudly rocking a Sox cap.

Sure, both the Cubs and White Sox tried to claim the Chicago-born pontiff after his election—but that hat settles the debate once and for all.

Now, if only Pope Leo could hit a fastball—or throw a decent splitter. 🙏

The struggling South Siders will take what they can get. This weekend, they’re honoring Pope Leo XIV at Rate Field, home of his beloved Sox.

There’ll be a special mass, and while he’s not expected to attend in person, the Pope will address the crowd via video.

Prayers for his Sox?

As a lifelong fan (yes, he went to the 2005 World Series), the new pope isn’t shy about his fandom—even when addressing the faithful in St. Peter’s Square.

Turns out, you really can root for the Sox from anywhere… even the Vatican.

The Nationals Just Made the Most Paw-some Call-Up in Franchise History

You’ve heard of phenoms. You’ve heard of top prospects. But the Washington Nationals just went Best in Show.

Meet Bruce the Bat Dog—a golden retriever from Triple-A Rochester who’s officially heading to The Show. Yes, Bruce is going to Washington!

📈 Stats That Bark
Bruce boasts a flawless 1.000 bat-retrieving average and elite tail-wag velocity. After just three games in the Minors, the Nats couldn’t wait any longer.

He’s been called a phenom. A clubhouse spark. The heart—and paws—of the organization.

🎤 The Call-Up
Bruce got the big news this week from Red Wings manager Matt LeCroy.
“Come on in, big dog… we’ve got some news for you.”
[Watch the video →]

🐶 Debut Details
Bruce will make his MLB debut Saturday during the Nationals’ Pups in the Park celebration. He’ll fetch bats, wag for cameras, and win over hearts in the crowd.

🎯 Final Word
A little fun. A little fluff. A reminder that not every call-up has to throw 98 or hit 450-foot bombs.

Sometimes, the best prospect… fetches.

⚾️ AI: Art of Framing a Pitch

Without a doubt, one of the most valuable skills behind the plate is pitch framing.

Turning a borderline pitch into strike three? That’s not luck—it’s science.

Catcher framing—the subtle repositioning of the glove to “steal” a strike—isn’t just for the pros anymore.

Thanks to AI tools like Uplift Labs, catchers as young as 13 can now break down glove movements, pitch reception, and framing angles down to the millisecond—using just two smartphones.

The result? Sharper technique. Cleaner receives. Smarter catchers.

Early feedback shows youth players using these tools develop better glove control and stronger mental awareness.

They’re not just catching—they’re crafting the game.

For Parents & Coaches:
Today’s essential catcher gear? Mitt, mask… and a smartphone.

⚾️ Baseball gloves under $60?

Let’s be real—baseball gear can get expensive real fast.

And when your kid’s glove starts falling apart mid-season, the timing is never great.

But you don’t have to spend a fortune to find a replacement.

We searched Amazon’s most popular youth gloves and found 7 affordable options that hit the sweet spot between price, performance, and practicality.

Whether you need a quick replacement, a backup glove, or something for a first-time player, these budget-friendly picks deliver.

⚠️ Note: These aren’t the high-end gloves—but they are among Amazon’s most popular sub-$60 options.

For beginners, practice gloves, or families watching costs, they offer great bang for your buck.

Read here 👉 7 Best-Selling Youth Baseball Gloves Under $60

Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I may earn a commission—at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

⚾️ What to Say After a Tough Loss?

Game over.

The dugout is quiet.

A couple of kids are staring at the ground. One or two are fighting back tears.

As a former Little Leaguer myself, I remember how brutal losing felt. More than once, I did more than just fight back tears.

It was crushing—especially when I felt like I could’ve done more.

And you—the coach—are standing there wondering: What now?

That’s why what you say after the game matters—maybe more than anything else. It can either build them up—or break their spirit.

The instinct might be to dive into mistakes. Rehash that one bad inning. Point out the errors.

But right after a tough loss?

That’s not the time.

Whether you’re a coach, a parent, or both, what you say in that raw postgame moment shapes how a young player sees failure, effort—and themselves.

Read more 👉 What to say after a tough game

🏃‍♂️ Run, Seigo, Run!

Next time you're at a ballgame—grabbing a beer, a hot dog, and some peanuts—think about Seigo Masubuchi. The 57-year-old from Minneapolis has a very different way of enjoying the game.

He runs marathons during them.

That’s right: 26.2 miles around the concourse—while balls fly, mascots dance, and fans cheer like he’s Forrest Gump.

It works out to about 84 laps around CHS Field, home of the St. Paul Saints.

In fact, Masubuchi works for the Saints.

When asked why he’d run a marathon in sweltering heat—dodging foul balls, mascots, and nacho trays—his answer was simple:

“The fans expect us to do fun stuff.”

And he has.

A fan favorite and fixture in St. Paul, Masubuchi has now run nearly 100 marathons at the ballpark. He once sang Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run” mid-marathon—and even tossed out the first pitch.

He’s more than a runner. He’s an institution.

From belting the national anthem to serving as the Saints’ original “ushertainer,” Seigo does it all.

Next time I’m at a ballpark, I’ll raise a beer to you, Seigo.

But I’m not running a marathon.

The Quote of the Week:

"Ability is the art of getting credit for all the home runs somebody else hits." Casey Stengel/Hall of Fame Manager

That’s it for this week.

Enjoy the weekend! Thanks for checking in.

John Boxley - High N Tight

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