IT'S SUNDAY/FUNDAY
THE FIRST 2026 EDITION
VENEZUELA, THE WORLD’S LARGEST POTTERY BARN
Pottery Barn is famous for both its “You break it, you own it” policy and its overpriced products. This sounds like what will happen in Venezuela. I had no idea that the Chairman of the Board of The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts was allowed to take over countries, but that’s on me.
There have been precisely 500 major league ballplayers born in Venezuela.
On top is Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio (55.86 WAR), who was the 1956 Rookie of the Year. He is a 13-time All-Star and a nine-time Gold Glove Award winner during his 18-year career. In 1984, he became the first Venezuelan player inducted into the Hall of Fame. He was born on April 29, 1934, in Maracaibo, Zulia, Venezuela. At 91, he is the oldest living Hall of Famer.
Miguel Cabrera had a 67.3 WAR, and Bobby Abreu, who had a 60.19 WAR, were each born in Maracay, Aragua, Venezuela.
In 2025, 92 players born in Venezuela played in the majors, including Jose Altuve, Salvador Perez, Willson Contreras, Ronald Acuna, Jr., Eugenio Suarez, Andres Gimenez, Miguel Rojas, Gleyber Torres, Carlos Carrasco, and Ranger Suarez.
We can only wish all the players and their families safety and the best of luck as they go through what will most likely be a difficult time.
2026 DATES TO KNOW
January 20, 2026: Hall of Fame Class of 2026 announced
February 20, 2026: Spring Training begins
March 5, 2026: World Baseball Classic begins. This is a great event. Before you Winnie the Pooh-pooh it, watch it. The excitement, the passion, and the match-ups are incredible. For all you fans who might dislike me for my lack of national jingoism, here’s another reason to detest me. I root for the teams where winning games or winning the title means something to the residents of that country. All seven 2023 Japan games registered TV ratings above 40.0 in Japan, comparable to Super Bowl‑level shares in the U.S. market. The Quarterfinal vs. Italy drew around 38 million viewers and a 48.7 rating. Despite airing at 8 a.m. on a Wednesday, the final vs. the USA still drew about 29 million viewers in Japan. Compare that to the final in the US, which averaged a combined 5.2 million U.S. viewers across FS1, Fox Deportes, and Fox Sports streaming platforms, the most‑watched WBC game ever in the U.S. Viewership on FS1 plus Fox Deportes peaked at roughly 6.5 million viewers during the final minutes when Shohei Ohtani faced Mike Trout.
March 13-14, 2026: World Baseball Classic quarterfinals
March 15-16, 2026: World Baseball Classic semifinals
March 17, 2026: World Baseball Classic Final in Miami
March 25, 2026: Opening Night of 2026 MLB season: The San Francisco Giants host the New York Yankees to open the 2026 regular season, the earliest non-international opening game in MLB history. The rest of baseball plays the next day.
April 15, 2026: Jackie Robinson Day is an annual event in MLB during which all 30 teams wear the retired No. 42 to celebrate Jackie Robinson’s career. Robinson made his debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947, and the event is held every year on that day. The Dodgers play a home game every year on Jackie Robinson Day, and will host the Mets in 2026.
May 15-17, 2026: MLB Rivalry Weekend - During Rivalry Weekend, all 30 teams will play a three-game series against their designated geographical rival. More inane match-ups like Twins vs. Brewers, Rockies vs. D-backs, and Braves vs. Red Sox (this would be worthwhile if the teams had shared a city more recently than the early 1950s).
June 2, 2026: Lou Gehrig Day - On this day, the anniversary of the date that Gehrig’s streak began, players wear special “4-ALS” decals and wristbands. It would be appropriate if each ballpark either showed or provided the audio of Lou Gehrig’s famous July 4th speech.
July 11, 2026: MLB Draft First Round - “Must See TV” as in I must see what else is on TV that night.
July 12, 2026: MLB Futures Game - Another event that will be ignored.
July 13, 2026: MLB Home Run Derby - Extra points should be awarded for the best bat flip.
July 14, 2026: The 2026 All-Star Game - Citizens Bank Park, home of the Phillies, will host this event. Perhaps something innovative will be introduced to make this event more compelling to watch.
July 26, 2026: National Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
August 13, 2026: Field of Dreams game - Twins vs. Phillies in Dyersville, Iowa. Now there’s a match-up for you. I would watch it if Harmon Killebrew and Richie Ashburn emerged from the cornfield.
August 23, 2026: MLB Little League Classic - Brewers vs. Braves in Williamsport, PA. Here’s another event that has little interest to me. I can’t even think of a snarky comment about it.
Sept. 15, 2026: MLB celebrates Roberto Clemente Day every year with all players, coaches and umpires wearing a “21” patch on their uniforms, and teams will announce their nominee for the Roberto Clemente awards, which is given to the player who “best represents the game of Baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.” This should always be a Pirates home game.
September 27, 2026: Final day of 2026 MLB regular season. This is the earliest it has been since the 2020 season. In 2020, it was because of COVID. This year, it’s to give teams more time to prepare to lock out the players.
11:59 p.m. ET on December 1, 2026: The MLB Players Association (MLBPA) Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) expires. This work stoppage should only be referred to as a “lockout,” not a player’s strike. This will occur because of the owner’s greed. Period, hard stop.
AND NOW, A LITTLE MUSIC
NEW LOW SUBSCRIPTION RATES
We have a new set of anti-tariff rates for Billy-Ball. Since we have a president determined to raise all our prices across the board, I’m setting a precedent by lowering subscription rates for 2026. I’m just trying to do my share to combat the regime.
