SUNDAY/FUNDAY
THE LAST FUNDAY OF 2025
HARPER JOINS DeROSA
Bryce Harper will join Team USA for the World Baseball Classic this spring. Harper will join teammate Kyle Schwarber on the Team USA WBC roster, which also features stars like Aaron Judge, Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes, and Cal Raleigh on manager Mark DeRosa’s team. We’ll have much more about the WBC over the coming weeks.
THEY CALL HIM MR. SMILE
The nickname “Mr. Smile” grew out of Francisco Lindor’s constant grin and fan-friendly demeanor, and it now appears in team features, promos, and national broadcasts.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Smile, Katia Reguero Lindor, the violinist wife of the Mets’ star shortstop, is on the inaugural committee of New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.
“Supporting politicians who fight for immigrants, artists, workers, and everyone who deserves a dignified life – isn’t against my interests, even if I’m in a different economic position,” she posted before Mamdani’s election.
Sounds and looks like an All-Star family to me.
THE BILLY-BALL M*A*S*H-UP
In our mash-ups, you simply take the last name of one player and combine it with the first name of another. Like Babe Ruth Bader Ginsburg, if she had played baseball or he were a Supreme Court justice.
Here’s our clue for today’s mash-up: Great Scott! There’s a boom on Gold Gloves with these two; each of these corner infielders won eight.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Rex Barney would be the league’s best pitcher if the plate were high and outside.” — Bob Cooke on the hard-throwing but wild Dodger pitcher of the 1940s who never lived up to the brilliance predicted for him.
Robbie Ray of the Giants led the majors this past season with 126 pitches high and outside. They produced 14 of the 73 walks he issued.
While we’re shining a ray on Robbie, here’s a really good one from Jayson Stark of The Athletic:
“Robbie Ray was the starting pitcher for the Giants in an April 11 game in New York. He went only four innings … but he still got The Win. That’s not normally allowed — in any other game. But when games get rained out (and the winning team pitches only five innings), the baseball gods say: The heck with that rule! Who knew!”
THANKS, JAYSON
When you finish Billy-Ball, go to The Athletic and check out Jayson Stark’s MLB’s Strange But True 2025: The plays, moments and stuff we couldn’t believe.
Included in his collection is this 7-2-4-2-5-2-3-6 double play courtesy of the South Bend Cubs and the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers from May 2.
THE BILLY-BALL-A-GRAM
There is little that is BOLDLY GENERIC about this free agent.
Who is BOLDLY GENERIC?
JUNEAU, WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT?
The Marlins recently signed the very good free agent reliever Pete Fairbanks. The Rays declined Fairbanks’ $11 million club option for 2026, and the Marlins signed him to a one-year deal for $13 million. After Edwin Díaz, Devin Williams, and Robert Suarez had all signed, Fairbanks was the best remaining bullpen arm out there.
Fairbanks, sadly, is from Milwaukee. Not that there’s anything wrong with Milwaukee. I just wish he were from Alaska. There have been 12 major leaguers born in Alaska, none in Fairbanks, 10 from Anchorage, Chad Bentz was from Juneau, and catcher Tom Sullivan, who made one MLB appearance in 1925 with the Reds, is the only MLBer who can honestly say, “there’s no place like Nome.”
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TWO AUSTIN CATCHERS
Happy birthday to Austin Barnes, whose 11-year Dodgers career ended in May. Clayton Kershaw went 44-19 with Barnes behind the plate.
Happy birthday to Austin Nola. Nola’s career also ended in 2025, when Atlanta released Nola in November so that he could become the Mariners’ bullpen coach.
Neither Austin is from Texas. Barnes is from Fullerton, CA, and Nola is from Baton Rouge, LA. I only wish he were from NOLA (New Orleans, LA).
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE SPACEMAN
Today is Bill Lee’s 79th birthday. That alone is a reason for all of us to celebrate.
“Baseball’s a very simple game. All you have to do is sit on your butt, spit tobacco, and nod at the stupid things your manager says.” - Bill Lee
REVERSED TARIFFS
We have a new set of reduced 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 no millionaire’s son, just trying to do my share.
THE BILLY-BALL WORDLE OF THE WEEK
You’re invited to play a Wordle created by BILLYBALL.
The clue is: “VERB AND BASEBALL PRONOUN.”
