{"id":11318,"date":"2026-08-08T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/?p=11318"},"modified":"2026-08-08T17:42:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T21:42:05","slug":"stick-to-baseball-8-8-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/2026\/08\/08\/stick-to-baseball-8-8-26\/","title":{"rendered":"Stick to baseball, 8\/8\/26."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For subscribers to the Athletic, here are all of my trade deadline writeups, in chronological order:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7471384\/2026\/07\/26\/nationals-red-sox-trade-analysis-connelly-early-curtis-mead\/\">Curtis Mead to Boston for Connolly Early<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7486169\/2026\/08\/02\/tarik-skubal-trade-dodgers-tigers-return\/\">Tarik Skubal to the Dodgers for three prospects<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7486978\/2026\/08\/02\/luis-castillo-trade-mariners-white-sox-return-law\/\">Luis Castillo for the White Sox<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7487392\/2026\/08\/02\/freddy-peralta-trade-rays-mets-analysis\/\">Freddy Peralta to the Rays for three prospects<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7487935\/2026\/08\/02\/luis-garcia-jr-nationals-yankees-trade-return-analysis\/\">Luis Garcia, Jr., to the Yankees for two prospects<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7487976\/2026\/08\/02\/kevin-gausman-trade-cubs-blue-jays-analysis\/\">Kevin Gausman to the Cubs<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7489080\/2026\/08\/03\/jose-soriano-arjun-nimmala-angels-blue-jays-trade-return-analysis\/\">Jose Soriano to Toronto for Arjun Nimmala-plus<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7489222\/2026\/08\/03\/luis-arraez-phillies-sf-giants-trade-return-analysis\/\">Luis Arraez to Philadelphia for two prospect arms<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7489302\/2026\/08\/03\/taylor-ward-mariners-orioles-trade-return-analysis\/\">Taylor Ward to Seattle for relievers<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7489439\/2026\/08\/03\/liam-hicks-trade-marlins-rays-analysis\/\">Liam Hicks to the Rays for quite a lot<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7489654\/2026\/08\/03\/adley-rutschman-red-sox-orioles-trade-return-analysis\/\">Adley Rutschman to Boston for four prospects<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7489802\/2026\/08\/03\/mlb-trade-deadline-sf-giants-brewers-pirates-mets-cardinals-padres\/\">The Dustin May (Milwaukee), Luke Weaver (Pittsburgh), and Robbie Ray (San Diego) deals<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7490092\/2026\/08\/03\/marcelo-mayer-trade-erik-miller-red-sox-sf-giants-analysis\/\">Erik Miller to Boston for Marcelo Mayer<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7490007\/2026\/08\/03\/cubs-trade-return-analysis-mets-angels\/\">The Cubs\u2019 trades for Ryan Zeferjahn and Clay Holmes<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7490496\/2026\/08\/03\/mlb-trades-foster-griffin-casey-mize-heliot-ramos-lars-nootbaar-analysis\/\">The Foster Griffin (Cleveland), Casey Mize (San Diego), Heliot Ramos (Yankees), and Lars Nootbaar (Arizona) trades<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I went to Gen Con, the largest board game convention in North America, last week, and continued my tradition of writing it up with <a href=\"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/2026\/08\/05\/gen-con-2026-recap-top-10-games\/\">the ten best new games of the convention and a rundown of everything else I saw<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My next stop is <a href=\"https:\/\/keithlaw.kit.com\/\">my free email newslette<\/a>r.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can find me primarily on <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/keithlaw.bsky.social\">Bluesky<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/mrkeithlaw\">Instagram<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/tiktok.com\/@keith_law\">TikTok<\/a>.<\/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>Neko Case wrote about her experience of <a href=\"https:\/\/nekocase.substack.com\/p\/in-what-fucking-universe\">being sexually harassed by an unnamed musician<\/a> who is pretty clearly the late Glen Hansard.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Nine more women came forward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vulture.com\/article\/jared-leto-bbc-documentary-sexual-misconduct.html?utm_medium=s1&amp;utm_campaign=vulture&amp;utm_source=bluesky\">to accuse Jared Leto of sexual misconduct<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It\u2019s hardly news any more, but here\u2019s the <em>Mother Jones<\/em> expos\u00e9 on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.motherjones.com\/politics\/2026\/07\/assault-misogyny-verbal-threats-records-detail-new-allegations-against-rep-max-miller-bernie-moreno\/\">the horrifying abuse allegations against Rep. Max Miller (R)<\/a>, whom Mike Johnson and Donald Trump can\u2019t be bothered to condemn.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/aug\/06\/israeli-strike-that-killed-journalist-in-lebanon-was-war-say-rights-groups\">Israel committed a war crime by murdering a Lebanese journalist<\/a>, according to three independent NGOs. The man leading Israel in its illegal actions, including its genocidal attack on Gaza, is more upset that NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jul\/26\/netanyahu-mamdani-icc-arrest-gaza-war-united-nations\">called for the U.S. to enforce the ICC\u2019s arrest warrant<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/nwlc.org\/press-release\/july-jobs-report-women-accounted-for-100-percent-of-the-labor-force-decline\/\">Women accounted for <em>one hundred percent<\/em> of the decline in the U.S. labor force in July<\/a>. That\u2019s 165,000 fewer women in the labor force just in the last month. On the year, twice as many women have left the labor force in the U.S. as men. And it\u2019s entirely the doing of this Administration.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>ICE deported a Guatemalan man who was living and working in Overland, Missouri, last year, leaving his pregnant wife alone in the U.S. Earlier this year, she returned to Guatemala with their child to be with him. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stlpr.org\/law-order\/2026-07-27\/overland-missouri-couple-killed-guatemala-deportations\">The couple were found dead last month, bound and shot, with their 14-month-old daughter crying next to them<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Wisconsin Public Radio has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wpr.org\/news\/francesca-hong-democratic-primary-campaign-governor-2026\">a measured profile of Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong (D)<\/a>, who\u2019s been hit with the \u201csocialist\u201d tag along with some not-subtle misogynistic and racist propaganda. The piece delves into the Democratic establishment\u2019s fear of progressive candidates and willingness to sabotage their own party to try to prevent progressives from winning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Four indie music publications <a href=\"https:\/\/pitchfork.com\/story\/brooklynvegan-alt-press-hit-with-mass-layoffs\/\">were gutted by layoffs this week<\/a>, including Brooklyn Vegan, which I\u2019ve read on and off for longer than I can remember. The sites are owned by Live Nation\u2019s Veeps, which was founded and is still partly owned by the poseur-punk band Good Charlotte, which has said nothing about the mass firings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.friendlyatheist.com\/p\/christian-preachers-are-turning-airplanes\">On soi-disant Christian evangelists preaching on airplanes<\/a>. Don\u2019t do this, although if you\u2019re here, I doubt the thought ever crossed your mind.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kxan.com\/news\/local\/austin\/family-identifies-17-year-old-killed-in-apd-shooting-as-community-pressure-grows-for-accountability\/\">Austin police shot and killed an unarmed Black 17-year-old named Anthoneil Williams<\/a>, and the Police Chief claims it was \u201csuicide by cop.\u201d How convenient for them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Jamelle Bouie asks <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/07\/29\/opinion\/elon-musk-far-right-remigration.html?unlocked_article_code=1.1VA.4_zS.8XuEwDkq06SF&amp;smid=bs-share\">why we tolerate Elon Musk\u2019s overtly racist commentary<\/a>. The <em>Times<\/em>, which employs me and Bouie, was still advertising on Twitter, the last time I checked.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsws.org\/en\/articles\/2026\/07\/27\/xwdt-j27.html\">Measles cases in the U.S. have now hit a 35-year high<\/a>. Vaccinate your kids and ostracize anyone who won\u2019t.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>I agree with this editorial by Aftermath founder Luke Plunkett that <a href=\"https:\/\/aftermath.site\/ai-poster-ad-flyer-local-business\/\">many consumers will avoid brands that use obvious AI slop in their ads<\/a>, but I was looking for some evidence to back up the claims. FWIW, Jeep\u2019s been running commercials with AI slop since at least the NFL playoffs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>AI firms\u2019 large language models keep going \u201crogue.\u201d (I\u2019d argue they do exactly what they are designed to do.) So <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rte.ie\/news\/technology\/2026\/0807\/1586941-artificial-intelligence-explainer\/\">who\u2019s responsible when an LLM does something illegal<\/a>? How could it be anyone other than the company that made them?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Mathematics is unusual among STEM research fields in that the youngest practitioners often do the best work. Bucking that trend is 99-year-old Joan Birman, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/how-a-99-year-old-mathematician-unraveled-a-century-old-braid-mystery\/\">joined two (younger) colleagues in publishing the solution to a decades-old problem<\/a> called the Burau representation, referring to whether matrices corresponding to four-strand braids are \u2018faithful.\u2019<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the U.S., <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/US\/lake-mead-nations-largest-reservoir-reaches-lowest-water\/story?id=135455720\">has reached its lowest recorded level ever<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>My friend Justin Bell wrote on BoardGameGeek about <a href=\"https:\/\/boardgamegeek.com\/blog\/1\/blogpost\/189439\/its-not-the-games-its-the-people\">how the people are what make Gen Con specia<\/a>l. I agree completely.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>I missed this when it came out in May, but Board Game Wire had a lovely piece <a href=\"https:\/\/boardgamewire.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/11\/veteran-board-game-writer-keith-law-expresses-shock-as-av-club-shutters-tabletop-section\/\">about me and the shuttering of Paste\/AV Club\u2019s Games section<\/a>. I\u2019ve been surprised and gratified by the support I\u2019ve gotten within the board gaming space for my writing, and it\u2019s encouraged me to kick it up a notch over here and make this space a little more professional on all counts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For subscribers to the Athletic, here are all of my trade deadline writeups, in chronological order: I went to Gen Con, the largest board game convention in North America, last week, and continued my tradition of writing it up with the ten best new games of the convention and a rundown of everything else I [&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":[1429,1083,1456,1109,190,553,1315,971,1197,766,870,940,807,1003],"class_list":["post-11318","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-board-game-news","tag-immigration","tag-israel","tag-links","tag-math","tag-measles","tag-metoo","tag-police","tag-religion","tag-stick-to-baseball","tag-the-swamp","tag-vaccines","tag-wisconsin","entry"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11318","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=11318"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11318\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11321,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11318\/revisions\/11321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11318"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11318"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11318"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}