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TODAY IS FARM AID 40 SUPPORT FAMILY FARMERS TODAY

THE DODGERS CLINCH A POSTSEASON SPOT

In Clayton Kershaw’s regular-season start at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers beat the Giants, 6-3. Kershaw went 4.1 IP, allowed four hits, two earned runs, walked four, and struck out six. He struggled and overcame. He was clearly exhausted from the emotional experience from the day before and was out of his rhythm. Kershaw is a man of routine, and this was not a part of his routine. To understand Kershaw and how he came to be the pitcher that he is, I highly recommend Andy McCullough’s The Last of His Kind: Clayton Kershaw and the Burden of Greatness. I loved it.

In this game, all it took were home runs from Miguel Rojas, Mookie Betts, and Shohei Ohtani, his 52nd. With this win, the Dodgers clinched their 13th consecutive postseason birth. The Dodgers have a mathematical magic number of 5 to clinch the NL West (the number is truly four because they own the tie-breaker).

The Padres lost last night to the White Sox, 4-3. Kevin Acee, the really good beat reporter for the Friars described it thusly, “The Padres lost again last night. They lost to a bad team. A really inexperienced and bad team.

The White Sox are four losses from 100. They are one season removed from losing a Modern Era-record 121 games. They had five players in their starting lineup last night who made their major league debut this season. They had lost six games in a row and scored more than two runs in one of those. They ran into two outs at third base that cost them runs last night.

And they beat the Padres 4-3.”

The loss was the Padres’ 15th in their past 24 games and their eighth in their past 14 games against losing teams. They are a great example of the flawed teams of 2025.

Manager Dave Roberts said that Kershaw will make one last regular-season start, going up against the Mariners in the Dodgers’ closing series. Kershaw's final regular-season ERA at Dodger Stadium in 228 starts: 2.26.

“I’m kind of mentally exhausted today, honestly, but it’s the best feeling in the world now,” Clayton Kershaw said. “We got a win, we clinched a playoff berth, I got to stand on that mound one last time. I just can’t be more grateful.”

FARM AID 40

Today, Farm Aid is celebrating its 40th anniversary of helping family farmers. I had the honor on three or four occasions of being the head writer for the telecasts, working with Carolyn Mugar, Farm Aid’s executive director, and the Farm Aid team to bring the message that when you eat the food grown by family farmers, you know what you’re getting — honest, real food grown by people who care about their land, their community and their future.

Family farmers are in a constant battle with the weather, the marketplace, the environment, and the ever-burgeoning corporate farming complex, which damages rural communities, local economies, public health, and the soil and water needed to sustain food production.

Today, watch and enjoy Farm Aid. Listen to the music. Listen to the stories. There is nothing more American than our farmers. They are the history of this country. Family farming is not a partisan issue. Family farming is about eating healthy and keeping the land healthy so that we will have food today and tomorrow.

From 6 pm – 11 pm CDT, CNN will broadcast a special presentation of Farm Aid 40, featuring live performances of Farm Aid Board artists, Willie Nelson and Family, Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds, and Margo Price.

Give generously for your children and their children.

THE MESSED (pronounced “Mets) WIN AGAIN

The Mets clobbered the Nationals in Queens last night, 12-6. The Mets have now won four of their last five games. Juan Soto set a new career-high with his 42nd home run and 34th steal of the season. Brandon Sproat went 4.0, allowing four hits and four runs. He is not the answer. Pete Alonso played his 1000th career game.