Back And Forth And Back Again …

Allow me a moment here …  Exactly sixty years ago, my long-suffering wife and I were married.  I don’t know what the OVER/UNDER line in Vegas was for that marriage, but I have to think that we made it to the OVER by now.  That has been my genuine good fortune.

Major Legue Baseball employs 76 full time umpires; at the end of the 2026 season, seven of those umpires will either retire or take a buyout.  That represents almost 10% of the officiating workforce.  Interestingly, six of the seven departing umpires came up to the major leagues together in 1999.  One of the names on the list of retirees is C.B. Bucknor; he is not someone that I will miss in the future.

Moving on …  If you have been watching World Cup action, you may have missed promos for a new show on FOX.  It is a “quiz show” called “America’s Dumbest”.  How would  you like to be known as the Ken Jennings of “America’s Dumbest?”

Sticking with the World Cup for a moment, some commentators have developed a line of patter that labels the USMNT’s campaign here as a “magical run” and an “international showing”.  Sorry, but I think that is pure nonsense.  In the Group Stage, the US beat Paraguay and Australia; then rested key players against Turkey.  I may not be a noted FIFA historian, but beating Paraguay and Australia does not imply “magical” to me at all.  Then in the newly created knockout round of 32 teams, the US beat Bosnia/Hercegovina; I don’t think that was the stuff of banner headlines around the soccer world.  Then came the bed-wetting performance against Belgium …

One more World Cup observation.  Soccer is a worldwide game – – probably the most widely distributed game in the world.  And yet, Europe seems to dominate the sport.  There are eight teams still in the running for the championship; six are European national teams:

1. Belgium
2. England
3. France
4. Norway
5. Spain
6. Switzerland

The remaining field of eight rounds out with Argentina and Morocco.

Switching gears …  I mentioned the upcoming MLB Trade Deadline in recent rants and that reminds me that this is the time of year for a signature refrain which should get started in the next couple of days:

• “The Angels ought to trade Mike Trout; he deserves to be on a contending team.”

Mike Trout is a future Hall of Famer; he has been the MVP 3 times.  Notwithstanding his talents and abilities, the Angels have not been in the playoffs since 2014; and in fact, have spent more time languishing near the bottom of their division than at or near the top since then.  Trout is 34 years old meaning he is closer to retirement than to his peak performance years.  Having said all that, the Angels should not consider “doing Trout a favor” by trading him to a contending team because:

1. Mike Trout has not asked to be traded and has proclaimed that he does not want to be traded.
2. According to Spotrac.com, Trout has a full no-trade clause in his contract, and he has not hinted that he would waive that clause.
3. The Angels are not in “tear-down mode”; any prospects they might get for Trout will not help the team on the field which seems to be the team that ownership is sticking with.
4. Trout’s contract is not nearly expiring; he is signed with the Angels through the end of the 2030 MLB season at $37.1M per season.

Until and unless we hear from Mike Trout that he wants out of Anaheim, please put this narrative to sleep.

Finally, here is an observation from George Burns:

“Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………