Justin Verlander

WISE Sports Radio baseball: Minor league union, Mickey Mantle card, Ichiro and Willie Mays honored

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Topics on this week’s WISE Sports Radio baseball segment include a 1952 Mickey Mantle card going for $12.6 million, Justin Verlander’s calf injury, Ichiro being honored by the Seattle Mariners, a surprise number retirement for Willie Mays, and Paul Goldschmidt’s MVP-caliber season for the St. Louis Cardinals.

We also discuss the Major League Baseball Players Association giving minor-league players the opportunity to join their union, a benefit that is long overdue for a labor force that is woefully underpaid.

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WISE Sports Radio baseball: Juan Soto turned down how much? MLB midseason surprises, disappointments

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Major League Baseball has reached its virtual midseason point, the All-Star break. That presents an opportunity on WISE Sports Radio to look back at the first half of the season. Which teams have surprised? Who are the disappointments?

And Juan Soto has become the talk of baseball by turning down a $440 million contract offer from the Washington Nationals. If he wants to be a $500 million man, which team will pay up? And who might offer a trade for the 23-year-old sensation?

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WISE Sports Radio baseball talk: 2022 Hall of Fame ballot, Noah Syndergaard, Justin Verlander, top free agents

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Unlike last week, I recorded my WISE Sports Radio baseball segment! And this time, I almost got all of it. Not sure if I bumped the keyboard or hit the desk, but for whatever reason, the recording stopped toward the end. So there’s a sad trombone for a punctuation mark.

We got just about everything in, though. Will any of the new additions to the 2022 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot be voted in? Noah Syndergaard signs with the Los Angeles Angels. Justin Verlander returns to the Houston Astros. And who are the top free agents available this offseason?

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WISE Sports Radio MLB update: Sept. 21, 2020

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The past weekend brought bad news for a former Detroit Tigers pitcher and a now-former Tigers manager. Justin Verlander requiring reconstructive surgery on his right elbow and Ron Gardenhire suddenly retiring due to health concerns were two of the topics we covered on WISE Sports Radio‘s baseball segment.

We also discussed the San Diego Padres, whom I think I’ve written more about than any other team this season in my role contributing to SI.com’s Dodgers site.

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WISE Sports Radio MLB segment: March 18, 2020

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Like all sports that would be played right now, baseball is on hold due to the coronavirus crisis. So there’s not a whole lot to talk about from MLB. But there are some questions, which Pat Ryan and I covered on Wednesday’s WISE Sports Radio segment.

When could the MLB season begin? Have any players tested positive for COVID-19? And will MLB take care of the stadium employees who won’t get paid during this postponement? Also, we’ll be talking about the current best player at each position over the next few weeks.

Thanks to WISE Sports Radio for allowing me to post this on my site, along with Mars Hill University (which sponsors the stream), host Pat Ryan, and Vistanet for sponsoring my MLB segment.