{"id":11203,"date":"2026-05-23T21:38:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T01:38:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/?p=11203"},"modified":"2026-05-23T21:38:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T01:38:23","slug":"stick-to-baseball-5-23-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/2026\/05\/23\/stick-to-baseball-5-23-26\/","title":{"rendered":"Stick to baseball, 5\/23\/26."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For subscribers to the Athletic this week, I <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7284496\/2026\/05\/19\/teen-umpire-ejects-baseball-coach-jameson-morris\/\">spoke with teenaged umpire Jameson Morris<\/a> about his confrontation with a standoffish rec league coach, the video of which has gone viral; published a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7284485\/2026\/05\/17\/pirates-seth-hernandez-scouting-report\/\">minor league scouting notebook<\/a> on Seth Hernandez, Edward Florentino, and some other Pirates &amp; Phillies prospects; and wrote up scouting report on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7295270\/2026\/05\/21\/brody-bumila-mlb-draft-scouting-report\/\">hard-throwing high school lefty Brody Bumila<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I appeared <a href=\"https:\/\/post.futurimedia.com\/chumam\/playlist\/listen-60937.html\">on TSN 1050 in Toronto<\/a> to talk about the Jays, Trey Yesavage, and what the next year or so will be like for Jose Berrios; and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.audacy.com\/957thegame\/podcasts\/the_morning_roast_with_bonta__shasky\/episodes\/keith_law_this_feels_like_bust-8399148\">on 95.7 The Game in San Francisco<\/a> to talk about the Giants\u2019 lost season and how maybe Buster Posey isn\u2019t the savior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I sent out a new issue of <a href=\"https:\/\/keithlaw.kit.com\/\">my free email newsletter<\/a> on <strong>Friday<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Apropos of nothing, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=1_Hydh6rE-s\">this Lyrics Born performance<\/a> of his 2003 song \u201cCallin\u2019 Out\u201d for KEXP is an absolute banger. KEXP is on quite a roll this year with their in-studio performances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And now, the links\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Longreads first: This <em>New Yorker<\/em> story on a mysterious Chinese couple in LA who have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/magazine\/2026\/02\/16\/the-babies-kept-in-a-mysterious-los-angeles-mansion\">used surrogate mothers to amass over 20 children<\/a> doesn\u2019t have a big, punchy finish, but the whole thing is wildly disturbing, from the neglect and abuse of the kids to the broader issues of what the fuck is even going on.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>404 Media exposes how Radnor (PA) Township School District <a href=\"https:\/\/www.404media.co\/radnor-high-school-pennsylvania-ai-deepfakes-child-sexual-abuse-material\/?ref=weekly-roundup-newsletter\">completely fumbled a case where a 14-year-old boy made pornographic deepfakes of his classmates<\/a>, including letting him return to school at one point before he was eventually charged with a crime. (The post was free when I first read it, but it appears now to be only for paid subscribers.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The NAACP issued a call to Black athletes and fans <a href=\"https:\/\/naacp.org\/articles\/naacp-calls-black-athletes-fans-withhold-support-public-schools-states-attacking-black\">to stop supporting athletic programs in states that are suppressing minority voters\u2019 rights<\/a>, which includes pretty much the entire SEC.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>ICE deported a mother to Honduras but refused to send her 3-year-old son with her, leaving him in the care of an abusive uncle. That uncle beat Orlin to death, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/immigration\/2026\/05\/16\/she-was-deported-without-her-toddler-then-ice-blamed-her-his-murder\/\">now ICE is blaming the mother for abandoning her child<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Nicholas Kristof wrote in the <em>Times<\/em>\u2019 opinion section about the world\u2019s silence to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/05\/11\/opinion\/israel-palestinians-sexual-violence.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share\">the substantial reports of rapes of Palestinian men, women, and children by Israelis<\/a>, including soldiers, prison guards, and even colonizers. The UN has long recognized <a href=\"https:\/\/www.unwomen.org\/sites\/default\/files\/Headquarters\/Media\/Publications\/UNIFEM\/EVAWkit_06_Factsheet_ConflictAndPostConflict_en.pdf\">the use of rape as a tactic in war<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In March, the Israeli military <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cm2xrz71zm3o\">dropped criminal charges<\/a> against soldiers caught on video raping a Palestinian detainee. This past week, they were allowed to return to military service, and <a href=\"https:\/\/mondoweiss.net\/2026\/03\/israeli-soldiers-who-gang-raped-palestinian-prisoner-are-now-free-to-return-to-military-service\/\">the Israeli Defense Minister <em>apologized to them<\/em><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Texans are probably going to elect Republican Ken Paxton as their Senator, despite <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/05\/18\/us\/politics\/ken-paxton-texas-senate-race.html\">his history of scandals that have led to an impeachment and an indictment<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Also in Texas, Democratic Congressional candidate Maureen Galindo wrote that she wants to turn an ICE facility <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sacurrent.com\/news\/politics-and-elections\/house-candidate-maureen-galindo-pledges-to-send-american-zionists-to-internment-camp\/\">into a concentration camp for American Zionists<\/a>, the latest in a stream of antisemitic falsehoods coming from her and her campaign. She\u2019s in a runoff to become the Democratic candidate in TX-35, with early voting open now and the election proper on Tuesday, May 26<sup>th<\/sup>. She\u2019s also been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/05\/21\/a-mysterious-gop-linked-super-pac-is-roiling-a-texas-democratic-primary-00930989\">backed by the Republican SuperPAC that bills itself as Lean Left<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>I usually put the board game news at the bottom of these links, but whoa boy, this one is special. BoardGameGeek fired their longtime advertising manager for rejecting an ad because <a href=\"https:\/\/boardgamewire.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/20\/boardgamegeek-fires-veteran-advertising-manager-for-rejecting-campaign-due-to-firsthand-experiences-of-demonic-possession\/\">he claimed demonic possession is real and an unfit subject for a game<\/a>. It\u2019s worse than it sounds; I hope this guy gets professional help, as he seems to be suffering from delusions, notably that demons are real (they are not, nor is demonic possession). Here\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/gamefound.com\/en\/projects\/dukes-of-nukes-gaming\/possess-me-satan\">the Gamefound page for Possess Me, Satan<\/a>, which is already fully funded, perhaps thanks to a little extra publicity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A Trump-loving Tennessee sheriff jailed a resident of his county for 37 days for posting a meme after the death of Charlie Kirk. That resident just <a href=\"https:\/\/tennesseelookout.com\/2026\/05\/20\/perry-county-pays-835k-to-settle-lawsuit-after-sheriff-jailed-man-for-37-days-over-trump-meme\/\">won an $835,000 settlement<\/a> in his lawsuit against the county. Maybe Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems should have to pay some of that.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>I linked a few weeks ago to a story about Iowa Republicans forcing an oxymoronic \u201cCenter for Intellectual Freedom\u201d on the University of Iowa. Students aren\u2019t taking its bullshit classes, so now <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcrg.com\/2026\/05\/20\/iowa-lawmakers-move-mandate-students-take-center-intellectual-freedom-classes-amid-low-enrollment\/\">those same Republicans are going to mandate the classes for all students<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Sports Illustrated <\/em>is at it again with the AI slop; Sportico caught <em>SI <\/em>plagiarizing some of its content, Futurism delved further, and <a href=\"https:\/\/futurism.com\/artificial-intelligence\/sports-illustrated-deletes-author-accusation-ai-plagiarism\">now everything that author supposedly wrote<\/a> is gone from <em>SI<\/em>\u2019s site, along with the author\u2019s social media presence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>I\u2019ve seen several stories this week about the murders of trans women; one was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seattletimes.com\/seattle-news\/law-justice\/uw-student-juniper-blessing-19-remembered-as-full-of-life\/\">Juniper Blessing<\/a>, a student at the University of Washington whom the <em>Seattle Times<\/em> honored with a piece about her life and legacy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A now adult daughter of anti-vaxxer parents recalls <a href=\"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/my-classmates-thought-i-was-drunk-but-i-had-meningitis\/\">how she ended up hospitalized for almost a month with meningitis when she was eleven<\/a> \u2013 and how her classmates thought she was drunk.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Oklahoma Republicans are pushing through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oklahoman.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2026\/03\/11\/oklahoma-bills-book-ban-restrict-school-library-hb-2978-sb-1250\/89084037007\/?gnt-cfr=1&amp;gca-cat=p&amp;gca-uir=true&amp;gca-epti=z112601p000250l004250c000250e1113xxv112601d--50--b--50--&amp;gca-ft=176&amp;gca-ds=sophi\">two bills to ban \u201cobscene\u201d material \u2013 by their definition<\/a> \u2013 from schools. This is, of course, not about protecting children at all, but about enacting Christian censorship within public education.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A New York doctor is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/news\/crime\/manlius-pediatrician-may-not-see-gravity-of-vaccine-fraud-charges-prosecutor-says-will-new-lawyer-help\/ar-AA23ubFF?apiversion=v2&amp;domshim=1&amp;noservercache=1&amp;noservertelemetry=1&amp;batchservertelemetry=1&amp;renderwebcomponents=1&amp;wcseo=1\">facing 21 felony counts for faking vaccination records<\/a> for her own kid and anti-vax parents. Lock her up.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Three former CDC executives say <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ms.now\/opinion\/rfk-jr-vaccines-hhs-cdc\">\u201cenough is enough\u201d to RFK Jr.\u2019s war on vaccines<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Broadview Six, including onetime Congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh, had all charges against them related to their protests outside an ICE facility <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/2026\/05\/07\/broadview-six-dismiss-charges\/\">dismissed with prejudice<\/a> this week, with the judge issuing some excoriating commentary on the unethical behavior of federal prosecutors in the game.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Mathematicians appear to have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/sensational-proof-topples-decades-old-geometry-problem\/\">proven the convexity conjecture<\/a> first posed by Michel Talagrand in 1995, and did so with an assist from AI.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Florida man Alan Chambers once ran a Christian ministry that promised to \u201ccure\u201d LGBTQ+ people. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wfla.com\/news\/florida\/florida-man-behind-defunct-conversion-therapy-ministry-tried-to-meet-teen-boy-for-sex-deputies-say\/\">He was arrested last week for soliciting sex from a teenaged boy<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted a video of himself taunting and slapping activists abducted by Israeli forces from a peace flotilla heading for Gaza; France has now <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/5\/23\/france-bans-far-right-israeli-minister-ben-gvir\">banned him from entering any French territory<\/a>. The now-freed activists have also alleged <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cglp5z63k9no\">they were sexually assaulted while in Israeli custody<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Times Guild, representing workers at the <em>New York Times<\/em>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/new-york-times-staffers-rally-outside-headquarters-demanding-fair-contract-ai-protections.amp\">filed an unfair labor practice charge<\/a> this week against the paper. The Athletic\u2019s unionizing effort has been fighting for over a year for the <em>Times<\/em> to recognize us as part of the Guild as well, rather than a separate bargaining unit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Let\u2019s Go! To France is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kickstarter.com\/projects\/alderac\/lets-go-to-france-from-aeg\">up on Kickstarter<\/a> now; my final piece for AV Club before they shuttered their games section was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.avclub.com\/lets-go-to-france-board-game-josh-wood\">an interview with designer Josh Wood<\/a> about the game.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For subscribers to the Athletic this week, I spoke with teenaged umpire Jameson Morris about his confrontation with a standoffish rec league coach, the video of which has gone viral; published a minor league scouting notebook on Seth Hernandez, Edward Florentino, and some other Pirates &amp; Phillies prospects; and wrote up scouting report on hard-throwing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1429,1083,1308,85,1387,1456,1004,1109,190,961,553,590,1115,1197,766,870,1044,477,1239,1269,807],"class_list":["post-11203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-board-game-news","tag-censorship","tag-college-sports","tag-gaza","tag-immigration","tag-iowa","tag-israel","tag-links","tag-longreads","tag-math","tag-oklahoma","tag-pennsylvania","tag-police","tag-religion","tag-stick-to-baseball","tag-tennessee","tag-texas","tag-trans-rights","tag-unions","tag-vaccines","entry"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11203"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11203\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11204,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11203\/revisions\/11204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}