Writing

Notes from the Evil Empire.

How Slammin’ Sammy almost called Fenway home.

On the continued dominance of Baseball Twitter; the AI debacle at SI; the Paul Mullin-Micky Mellon feud; the Tranmere tactics of Nigel Adkins; the demise of Belichick’s Patriots; the Yankees’ Evil Empire; the brilliance of Jude Bellingham; the transformation of Galatasaray; the devilish proliferation of Tupperware; and more.

On the gradual resuscitation of Tranmere; the difference-making acumen of Nigel Adkins; the rise of Rob Apter; the immortal Connor Jennings; the Dallas Cowboys’ annual tease; the absurdity of Dolly Parton’s Thanksgiving halftime show; the genius of Mike McDaniel; and the Mariners doing Mariners things.

On the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes; the Cardinals’ journeyman pitchers; the Yankees’ lack of retained wisdom; the MLB London Series 2024; and the smug joy of actually having a train ticket.

Why the Yankees are beloved in The Land of the Rising Sun.

On the death of Peter Seidler; the Astros hiring Joe Espada; the waning prime of Gerrit Cole and Aaron Judge; the Athletics’ move to Las Vegas; and the harrowing genius of Pete Doherty.

How I almost found an urban masterpiece, 20 years later.

Where does Boston turn next?

Defending the Moneyball protégé chased from Los Angeles.

On the strange comfort of rooting for a team that never wins.

Why the Moneyball icon refused record pay to become Boston GM.

Mets blow it up; Red Sox and Yankees stand pat; Angels, Cubs and Padres go for it.

Actions speak louder than words in the Bronx.

What happens when we take sports too seriously?

Jimmy Fallon, Drew Barrymore and a heap of Red Sox nostalgia.

The Yankees are (still) a mess.

How the heir to Derek Jeter finally earned his pinstripes.

How signed baseballs from legendary Yankees reaffirmed my fandom.

Inside the ecommerce side hustle of a Boston Red Sox legend.

What happens when the lovable losers win?

How two kids dreamed of playing shortstop for the Yankees – and did.

How a storied baseball team got caught in a media arms race.

Inside the Chapter 11 filing of a baseball powerhouse.

Charting the rise and fall of online baseball writing.

How sports fandom became a full-time job.

How a baseball powerhouse fell into existential crisis.

Why the futile pursuit of objective solutions makes us sick.

How private equity firms are destroying partisan ownership.

My annual (futile) call for change in the Bronx.