Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley discuss MLB’s decision to clear Shohei Ohtani and ban five other players for betting on baseball, including Tucupita Marcano’s permanent ban. They talk about MLB’s involvement, gambling ads, future implications, and more. Later on, they chat about Tommy Pham’s recent altercation, surprising demotions, league parity, trade rumors, memorable games, skills…
(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano came under heavy scrutiny when news leaked yesterday that he was being investigated for potentially betting on MLB games. The league completed its investigation quickly as it does not take issues like this lightly, and one major insider announced the official ruling to…
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) This week, it was revealed that San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano would be permanently banned from MLB because of his involvement in gambling activities. He reportedly bet on baseball, which has historically been a death sentence for a player’s reputation and career. Not only that, but he bet on…
(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) It’s still early in the MLB season, but it’s never too early to start thinking about end-of-year awards as we are now a third of the way through the season. One Chicago Cubs player has surprised everyone and is continuing to hold a sizable lead for one prestigious award. MLB.com…
(Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) Blake Snell signed a two-year deal worth $62 million with the San Francisco Giants. He rejected more lucrative offers before spring training, looking for a specific amount of money that teams just wouldn’t give to him. He seemingly got some bad advice from his agent and instead of signing…
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) Law enforcement authorities in the United States, and MLB, have concluded their investigation on the Ippei Mizuhara case. The former interpreter and friend of Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani pled guilty to tax and bank fraud charges, and will be sentenced in October. He is facing a maximum…
(Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) The Detroit Tigers were one of the best teams in the American League in the second half of the 2000s and the first half of the 2010s. With players such as Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, Max Scherzer, Anibal Sanchez, Placido Polanco, Curtis Granderson and many others, the Tigers…
(Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) The New York Yankees are a juggernaut. They are, as of Tuesday, the best team in MLB together with the Philadelphia Phillies, with a 42-19 record. Their offense is potent and their pitching has been phenomenal, particularly the rotation. There are a couple of issues on the offensive…
Welcome back to Top of the Order, where every Tuesday and Friday I’ll be starting your baseball day with some news, notes, and thoughts about the game we love. The Brewers sure look like a great team right now, with a commanding seven-game lead in the NL Central even after dropping Monday night’s game in…
(Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images) The automated strike zone has become an inevitability that baseball fans have largely grown to accept, as most fans agree that it is a long time coming and would be a great improvement for the sport. However, one ace isn’t so fond of the idea and thinks that we should…
