Oh my gosh thatโs awesome!! Japan has so many freaking places. Itโs crazy. Hakone is lovely and serene, weโve been here two different trips now (once at Ryokan closer to Gora. This time just at a place by Lake Ashi). But I really want to see Okinawa, Hokkaido and some rural areas one day.
WBC. Tokyo Dome. Bases loaded. Ohtani at the plate. Did you really think anything else was gonna happen?! ๐๐ #BoothViews with Jose Mota for Shoheiโs WBC slam in Samurai Japanโs rout of Chinese Taipei. #WorldBaseballClassicย #ๅคง่ฐท็ฟๅนณ
As he enjoys doing whenever heโs home, Ohtani put on a BP show. This one off the top of the video board. But he had an earlier one over the lights in the Tokyo Dome. #WorldBaseballClassic
๐๐ i wouldnt dare trifle with Dave Nilsson like that.
Shhh donโt spoil my equation!๐
I asked Bazzana postgame if his notes app included lines about a home run and a win in his debut. He laughed and said he expected Australia to have a winning team, so basically, it was unsaid ๐
Here we go! Jose Mota me and our crew are ready to roll for the 2026 #WorldBaseballClassic opener: Australia (home) vs Chinese Taipei (away).
We made a 2-day pit stop in Hakone, and then a scenic route to Tokyoโstopped at Lake Yamanaka
Mount Fuji in the background, Heiwa no Torii (Hakone shrine) in the foreground next to Lake Ashi.
Mount Fuji from next to Lake Yamanaka.
Good morning, Fujisan ๐๏ธ๐
Magical moments are what the WBC is all about. Not just from big-name MLB stars. But from and for the small countries with big dreams. Like 2023, in Czechiaโs first-ever #WorldBaseballClassic, Martin Muลพรญk hit a go-ahead, 9th-inning home run for the Czech ages. (His momโs reaction๐ฅน)
Hanshin Koshien Stadium ๐๏ธ
Finally crossed Hanshin Koshien Stadium off of the baseball bucket list!
๐๐
Love the Aussies crew. Know there are questions about their staff this tourney but the lineup should be solid! Dingo is a fun interview, too. Hopefully we get another Van Steenselโs breakdown of facing Shohei ๐
Was awesome to catch up with Gavin Stone last week. Hope folks didnโt forget how important/valuable he was in 2024. He looks awesome physically, and is feeling good mentally. (And surgery didnโt rob him of the nasty cambio!)
The MKB International broadcast crews for the 2026 WBC. Tyler Maun and Ryan Rowland-Smith in Puerto Rico. Rich Waltz, Dan Plesac and JP Morosi in Houston. Paul Severino and Yonder Alonso in Miami. Jose Mota and me in Tokyo.
Honored to be a small part of another WBC, working alongside a dear friend in Jose Mota and with an incredible international group. Pool C in Tokyo should be electric! ๐ฏ๐ต speaking of electricity, canโt wait to hear @tylermaun.com & Hyphen in Puerto Rico. Fired up for this tourney!
And I *think* Iโm done crying over that scene with the Gaudreau kids. I think. What a moment within the moment.
Jack Hughes meeting with a scrum of media ahead of the 2019 WJC, at Team USAโs precamp in Everett, WA. This was when he was the presumptive #1 pick.
Hughes after scoring the golden goal at the 2026 Olympics, missing his front teeth.
From a small scrum in Everett, WA before the 2018-19 World Junior Championship โก๏ธ to being draped in the flag at 2026 Olympics after a golden goal. you knew this kid/smile was destined for legend. Atta way, Jack! ๐บ๐ธ๐ฅ
The most hilarious content right now: people posting loudly, sincerely and very seriously about watching a Kid Rock performance. Bless their little, non-existent hearts ๐ค
Shohei Ohtani at the 2025 DodgerFest (photo: LA Times)
2024 DodgerFest on stage with Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and Joe Davis
2024 DodgerFest at a special Q&A with Freddie Freeman
2025 DodgerFest panel with Tommy Edman, Teoscar Hernandez and Bobby Miller
Happy Dodger Fest(ivus)! Excited to see everybody at the stadium today. From 12:30-2pm, Joe Davis and I will host a show from the field, talking with a your favorite Dodgers. Letโs have a day! ๐ค #ITFDB #DodgerFest
โWill [Klein] Powerโ
Sobering truth. โWhatโs wrong with a little tyranny? just a means for [their] ends.โ
It is preposterous how many peopleโeven accounting for obvious bot accountsโwho are scrambling to yell โTREAD ON ME! PLEASE PICK ME TO TREAD ON! I SERIOUSLY ENJOY THE TREADING!โ online.
Wael Tarabishi, the last person I wrote about for the Star-Telegram, died on Friday.
Waelโs health declined rapidly after his father and primary caretaker, Maher, was detained by ICE last fall.
The Tarabishi family believes that if Maher had not been arrested, Wael would still be alive. I do too.
(Iโm aware that said โtug-of-warโ does not at all compare to whatโs happening first-hand to people in communities all over. Thatโs the real shit. Iโm just venting emotionally to try and maintain some sanity.)
I feel blood-boiling and fist-clenching rage seeing *gestures at the current state of things*. Then I see my kidsโjust simply existingโand I am struck by fear and sadness. Itโs an emotional tug-of-war, and it can be paralyzing.
And ever. Amen.
Picture from 2024-25 season. Bears QB Caleb Williams lying flat on his back in pain and/or reflection. For me, it represents both currently. Bear Down *sad girl TikTok dancing thru tears dot gif*
Thinking about that game ๐ญ
Thinking about this season ๐ฅฒ
Damn. Tough ending. But what a ride. Even my boysโ4 & 2 with absolutely zero idea whatโs going on or why dad is doing loud noisesโgot into it. So thatโs a neat development for the household moving forward.
Anyway: ๐ปโฌ๏ธ
Classic picture of Dave Parker in his โif you hear any noise itโs just me and the boys boppinโ but instead of โthe boys, โ it reads โDAAAAA BEARSโ
๐ป TF โฌ๏ธ!!
self-annointed arbiters of โsnowflakesโ responded to actual snowballsโthrown by teenagersโwith pepper spray. The alphaโest alphaโers to ever alpha.
