Theo Gerome
@hotcornerharbor.com
Writes baseball at http://crawfishboxes.com & http://hotcornerharbor.com, plus pop culture at http://hchoutofleftfield.com; music at http://theogerome.bandcamp.com. He/him
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Theo Gerome
@hotcornerharbor.com
· Apr 4
I have a custom feed now sharing all of my articles that go up over at my sites! bsky.app/profile/did:...
And here I was, thinking getting rid of Ramon Urias meant Dubon was sticking around...
November 20, 2025 at 2:11 AM
And here I was, thinking getting rid of Ramon Urias meant Dubon was sticking around...
Wow. What?
…is it wrong to suspect that Grayson’s medical prognosis is really bad? Like, I think the trade makes sense without it, but this feels like a kind of quick trigger. Especially for Baltimore
…is it wrong to suspect that Grayson’s medical prognosis is really bad? Like, I think the trade makes sense without it, but this feels like a kind of quick trigger. Especially for Baltimore
Late-night trade:
The Orioles trade Grayson Rodriguez to the Angels for Taylor Ward.
The Orioles trade Grayson Rodriguez to the Angels for Taylor Ward.
November 19, 2025 at 4:15 AM
Wow. What?
…is it wrong to suspect that Grayson’s medical prognosis is really bad? Like, I think the trade makes sense without it, but this feels like a kind of quick trigger. Especially for Baltimore
…is it wrong to suspect that Grayson’s medical prognosis is really bad? Like, I think the trade makes sense without it, but this feels like a kind of quick trigger. Especially for Baltimore
A thing that has bothered me (for the last ~decade esp, where it's been REALLY bad) is how MLB will come up with half-assed "competitive balance" explanations that don't fully make sense for decisions that were clearly financially based. See also: the extra Wild Card, budget caps on drafting/FOs...
100%. Also a great reason to note that the QO penalizing signing teams is just incredibly stupid. If you want to provide a bonus to teams losing premium players, god bless, throw some picks at em. But there's no good reason to penalize the signing teams. Not to mention it's obnoxiously complicated
Agreed with this. I also think we were overdue for more players accepting the QO. (Less than 10% had taken it entering today.) If you're Grisham or Torres, your market is going to take a real hit with draft-pick compensation. Taking the tender isn’t ideal, but it’s probably the best path forward.
November 18, 2025 at 10:36 PM
A thing that has bothered me (for the last ~decade esp, where it's been REALLY bad) is how MLB will come up with half-assed "competitive balance" explanations that don't fully make sense for decisions that were clearly financially based. See also: the extra Wild Card, budget caps on drafting/FOs...
Reposted by Theo Gerome
100%. Also a great reason to note that the QO penalizing signing teams is just incredibly stupid. If you want to provide a bonus to teams losing premium players, god bless, throw some picks at em. But there's no good reason to penalize the signing teams. Not to mention it's obnoxiously complicated
Agreed with this. I also think we were overdue for more players accepting the QO. (Less than 10% had taken it entering today.) If you're Grisham or Torres, your market is going to take a real hit with draft-pick compensation. Taking the tender isn’t ideal, but it’s probably the best path forward.
A lot of people seem surprised by the number of guys accepting it but once you see the guys who are doing the accepting it all becomes pretty clear.
November 18, 2025 at 9:34 PM
100%. Also a great reason to note that the QO penalizing signing teams is just incredibly stupid. If you want to provide a bonus to teams losing premium players, god bless, throw some picks at em. But there's no good reason to penalize the signing teams. Not to mention it's obnoxiously complicated
Reposted by Theo Gerome
capping a week of stories about elite depravity with a story about a journalist who broke basically every possible ethical rule (and was rewarded for it) to elevate an unqualified wealthy failson who is trying to destroy american public health is, well, it's a lot, tbh
November 14, 2025 at 6:47 PM
capping a week of stories about elite depravity with a story about a journalist who broke basically every possible ethical rule (and was rewarded for it) to elevate an unqualified wealthy failson who is trying to destroy american public health is, well, it's a lot, tbh
Reposted by Theo Gerome
Oh yes, as someone notes in replies let us not forget the three bylined A1 story about hacked records provided by a white supremacist that showed Zohran Mamdani accurately described himself on an application to a college he didn't get into www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2025/07/the-...
The Times revises its policy about whether to publish stories based on hacked materials provided by ratfuckers again - Lawyers, Guns & Money
The day that Republicans passed legislation to strip 17 million people of their healthcare, the Paper of Record announced a SCOOP: Even on its face, this is a massive nothingburger — someone with Indi...
www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com
November 13, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Oh yes, as someone notes in replies let us not forget the three bylined A1 story about hacked records provided by a white supremacist that showed Zohran Mamdani accurately described himself on an application to a college he didn't get into www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2025/07/the-...
Reposted by Theo Gerome
Remember when, after 2016 when literally any inane trivia contained in a hacked email provided by Russian intelligence was considered per se newsworthy, in 2024 the media decided without explanation that publishing hacked emails would be wrong? www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2024/08/poli...
Politico has been sitting on hacked communications from the Trump campaign for 3 weeks - Lawyers, Guns & Money
Some rain on your wedding day: The campaign blamed “foreign sources hostile to the United States,” citing a Microsoft report on Friday that Iranian hackers “sent a spear phishing email in June to a hi...
www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com
November 13, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Remember when, after 2016 when literally any inane trivia contained in a hacked email provided by Russian intelligence was considered per se newsworthy, in 2024 the media decided without explanation that publishing hacked emails would be wrong? www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2024/08/poli...
Reposted by Theo Gerome
As all this disgusting Epstein shit starts surfacing more and more, I hope we don't lose sight of the fact that apparently every major media outlet knew everything and instead spent their time money and energy attacking the trans community.
November 13, 2025 at 1:07 AM
As all this disgusting Epstein shit starts surfacing more and more, I hope we don't lose sight of the fact that apparently every major media outlet knew everything and instead spent their time money and energy attacking the trans community.
Reposted by Theo Gerome
The Times literally pulled their top Clinton reporter off the beat to join several other reporters to pore through the mind-numbing trivia from John Podesta's inbox, resulting in zero stories of any substantive or prurient interest
November 13, 2025 at 8:30 AM
The Times literally pulled their top Clinton reporter off the beat to join several other reporters to pore through the mind-numbing trivia from John Podesta's inbox, resulting in zero stories of any substantive or prurient interest
Reposted by Theo Gerome
We're so thrilled to be able to announce that Cassette Beasts has sold over *1.1 MILLION units*!
We started out as a tiny team hoping we might be lucky enough to sell even a fraction of that - for every share, review, or positive comment, we really can't thank all of you enough. 💜
We started out as a tiny team hoping we might be lucky enough to sell even a fraction of that - for every share, review, or positive comment, we really can't thank all of you enough. 💜
November 12, 2025 at 5:16 PM
We're so thrilled to be able to announce that Cassette Beasts has sold over *1.1 MILLION units*!
We started out as a tiny team hoping we might be lucky enough to sell even a fraction of that - for every share, review, or positive comment, we really can't thank all of you enough. 💜
We started out as a tiny team hoping we might be lucky enough to sell even a fraction of that - for every share, review, or positive comment, we really can't thank all of you enough. 💜
Reposted by Theo Gerome
both All-Star starters went on to win Cy Youngs that year (1 CYA per league since 1967):
2025 Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes
2001 Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson
2025 Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes
2001 Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson
November 13, 2025 at 1:22 AM
both All-Star starters went on to win Cy Youngs that year (1 CYA per league since 1967):
2025 Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes
2001 Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson
2025 Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes
2001 Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson
Reposted by Theo Gerome
Skenes: all 1st-place votes
Sanchez: all 2nd-place votes
Since the BBWAA went to a five-player ballot format for the Cy Young Award in 2010, this is the first time the winner received all the first-place votes and the runner-up all the second-place votes
h/t @officialBBWAA
Sanchez: all 2nd-place votes
Since the BBWAA went to a five-player ballot format for the Cy Young Award in 2010, this is the first time the winner received all the first-place votes and the runner-up all the second-place votes
h/t @officialBBWAA
November 13, 2025 at 1:38 AM
Skenes: all 1st-place votes
Sanchez: all 2nd-place votes
Since the BBWAA went to a five-player ballot format for the Cy Young Award in 2010, this is the first time the winner received all the first-place votes and the runner-up all the second-place votes
h/t @officialBBWAA
Sanchez: all 2nd-place votes
Since the BBWAA went to a five-player ballot format for the Cy Young Award in 2010, this is the first time the winner received all the first-place votes and the runner-up all the second-place votes
h/t @officialBBWAA
Reposted by Theo Gerome
This is one of several related "messaging" issues that bedevils our politics.
Centrists and the left *both* often talk as if one magic policy platform will solve the electoral woes of Dems and it's just never been that simple. It's a comms issue. It's vibes. It's a nebulous mood.
Centrists and the left *both* often talk as if one magic policy platform will solve the electoral woes of Dems and it's just never been that simple. It's a comms issue. It's vibes. It's a nebulous mood.
something that the dems have always struggled with (for at least 15 years now) is that the public doesn't believe the GOP is actually like that, it's always a "negotiating tactic" or "just red meat for the base", even if it's literally written GOP platform stuff. anyways:
"the best explanation for 2025 is that voters didn’t know what they were getting with Trump 2.0 last November, but now they do — and they don’t like it." www.gelliottmorris.com/p/seven-data...
November 5, 2025 at 7:55 PM
This is one of several related "messaging" issues that bedevils our politics.
Centrists and the left *both* often talk as if one magic policy platform will solve the electoral woes of Dems and it's just never been that simple. It's a comms issue. It's vibes. It's a nebulous mood.
Centrists and the left *both* often talk as if one magic policy platform will solve the electoral woes of Dems and it's just never been that simple. It's a comms issue. It's vibes. It's a nebulous mood.
Reposted by Theo Gerome
something that the dems have always struggled with (for at least 15 years now) is that the public doesn't believe the GOP is actually like that, it's always a "negotiating tactic" or "just red meat for the base", even if it's literally written GOP platform stuff. anyways:
"the best explanation for 2025 is that voters didn’t know what they were getting with Trump 2.0 last November, but now they do — and they don’t like it." www.gelliottmorris.com/p/seven-data...
Seven data-driven lessons from the 2025 elections
Democrats outran their polls and swept statewide races from Georgia to New Jersey, on an agenda of affordability and a broad anti-Trump backlash
www.gelliottmorris.com
November 5, 2025 at 7:51 PM
something that the dems have always struggled with (for at least 15 years now) is that the public doesn't believe the GOP is actually like that, it's always a "negotiating tactic" or "just red meat for the base", even if it's literally written GOP platform stuff. anyways:
Before reading the article and getting influenced, my prediction for this election right now is "Jeff Kent is the only inductee"
Election Season: Bonds and Clemens Lead the Contemporary Baseball Ballot blogs.fangraphs.com/election-sea...
Election Season: Bonds and Clemens Lead the Contemporary Baseball Ballot
Once again, the Hall of Fame has put forth an Era Committee ballot as notable for its omissions as its inclusions.
blogs.fangraphs.com
November 3, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Before reading the article and getting influenced, my prediction for this election right now is "Jeff Kent is the only inductee"
Reposted by Theo Gerome
new @fangraphs.com: my first look at the just-released 2026 Hall of Fame Contemporary Baseball Era Committee ballot, for candidates whose greatest impact came after 1980. As usual, the omissions are as notable as the inclusions, and now the process has a new wrinkle that could shape future elections
Election Season: Bonds and Clemens Lead the Contemporary Baseball Ballot blogs.fangraphs.com/election-sea...
Election Season: Bonds and Clemens Lead the Contemporary Baseball Ballot
Once again, the Hall of Fame has put forth an Era Committee ballot as notable for its omissions as its inclusions.
blogs.fangraphs.com
November 3, 2025 at 6:30 PM
new @fangraphs.com: my first look at the just-released 2026 Hall of Fame Contemporary Baseball Era Committee ballot, for candidates whose greatest impact came after 1980. As usual, the omissions are as notable as the inclusions, and now the process has a new wrinkle that could shape future elections
Reposted by Theo Gerome
One final bit of wrap-up for the World Series: the second part of my postseason trivia series, including a quiz for the best active players without a title! www.hotcornerharbor.com/2025/11/2025...
2025 World Series Trivia Wrap-Up + Best Players Without a World Series
With the final game of the 2025 Season in the books, I can follow up on my initial column with another trivia tradition here at Hot Corner ...
www.hotcornerharbor.com
November 2, 2025 at 12:50 PM
One final bit of wrap-up for the World Series: the second part of my postseason trivia series, including a quiz for the best active players without a title! www.hotcornerharbor.com/2025/11/2025...
Reposted by Theo Gerome
Did not expect one of the best paragraphs I’d read about baseball would come from an Irish newspaper
www.irishexaminer.com/sport-column...
www.irishexaminer.com/sport-column...
November 2, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Did not expect one of the best paragraphs I’d read about baseball would come from an Irish newspaper
www.irishexaminer.com/sport-column...
www.irishexaminer.com/sport-column...
One final bit of wrap-up for the World Series: the second part of my postseason trivia series, including a quiz for the best active players without a title! www.hotcornerharbor.com/2025/11/2025...
2025 World Series Trivia Wrap-Up + Best Players Without a World Series
With the final game of the 2025 Season in the books, I can follow up on my initial column with another trivia tradition here at Hot Corner ...
www.hotcornerharbor.com
November 2, 2025 at 12:50 PM
One final bit of wrap-up for the World Series: the second part of my postseason trivia series, including a quiz for the best active players without a title! www.hotcornerharbor.com/2025/11/2025...
Reposted by Theo Gerome
For the 6th year in a row, a player named Will Smith has won the World Series
2020 - Will Smith (C), Dodgers
2021 - Will Smith (RP), Braves
2022 - Will Smith (RP), Astros
2023 - Will Smith (RP), Rangers
2024 - Will Smith (C), Dodgers
2025 - Will Smith (C), Dodgers
2020 - Will Smith (C), Dodgers
2021 - Will Smith (RP), Braves
2022 - Will Smith (RP), Astros
2023 - Will Smith (RP), Rangers
2024 - Will Smith (C), Dodgers
2025 - Will Smith (C), Dodgers
November 2, 2025 at 4:19 AM
For the 6th year in a row, a player named Will Smith has won the World Series
2020 - Will Smith (C), Dodgers
2021 - Will Smith (RP), Braves
2022 - Will Smith (RP), Astros
2023 - Will Smith (RP), Rangers
2024 - Will Smith (C), Dodgers
2025 - Will Smith (C), Dodgers
2020 - Will Smith (C), Dodgers
2021 - Will Smith (RP), Braves
2022 - Will Smith (RP), Astros
2023 - Will Smith (RP), Rangers
2024 - Will Smith (C), Dodgers
2025 - Will Smith (C), Dodgers
Reposted by Theo Gerome
The Dodgers would be nothing and nobody without immigrants. They won this game - and this entire series - because of immigrants. In that sense, they represent the absolute best that this country has to offer.
I hope they remember all this when the White House invitation arrives.
I hope they remember all this when the White House invitation arrives.
Los Angeles suffered tremendously because of the wildfires. The president of the United States has wanted to make the immigrants who make the city suffer and declared war on the city. But all throughout it, L.A. makes it work daily. It’s a place where people go to make it. LA deserves this.
November 2, 2025 at 5:07 AM
The Dodgers would be nothing and nobody without immigrants. They won this game - and this entire series - because of immigrants. In that sense, they represent the absolute best that this country has to offer.
I hope they remember all this when the White House invitation arrives.
I hope they remember all this when the White House invitation arrives.
Okay, my annual Best Active Players Without a World Series quiz is live. www.sporcle.com/games/piano_...
www.sporcle.com
November 2, 2025 at 4:29 AM
Okay, my annual Best Active Players Without a World Series quiz is live. www.sporcle.com/games/piano_...
oh no, are they gonna try and bunt Vlad over...
November 2, 2025 at 4:13 AM
oh no, are they gonna try and bunt Vlad over...
I was gonna publish a trivia quiz and write an article after this was over, how am i gonna do that now
November 2, 2025 at 3:56 AM
I was gonna publish a trivia quiz and write an article after this was over, how am i gonna do that now