Orioles fan, who is not at all a jackwagon, turns his back for every A-Rod at bat

By Craig CalcaterraApr 14, 2015, 8:25 AM EDT
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A lot of people dislike Alex Rodriguez because he draws attention to himself, thinks he’s more important than he is and doesn’t follow rules. Not at all like this dude:

This guy is probably a lot of fun to talk to at the office. I bet he has a lot of opinions and stuff.

I wonder if he pulled this stuff when Orioles shortstop Everth Cabrera, also a Biogenesis All-Star, came to bat last night. Or, for that matter, when Nelson Cruz did last year. Or Chris Davis or, well, you see how this goes.

UPDATE: Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post interviewed him. And, no, he doesn’t turn his back on Orioles PED guys. Why? Because A-Rod is “the worst.” Basically, he comes off about how you’d expect him to come off. Like an attention-seeking blowhard.

Yasmani Grandal signs a four-year, $73 million deal with the White Sox

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By Craig CalcaterraNov 21, 2019, 12:09 PM EST
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The first truly big free agent signing of the offseason has gone down: the Chicago White Sox just announced that they have signed catcher Yasmani Grandal to a four-year, $73 million deal.

Grandal, 31, was the best catcher available in free agency. He is coming off a fine year with the Milwaukee Brewers, with whom he had to settle for a one-year pact in 2019. He hit .246/.380/.468 with 28 homers and 77 driven in. It was his fourth straight season with 20+ homers. While his catching has been criticized due to some high-profile mistakes in the postseason, the two-time All-Star once again proved himself to be one of the best pitch-framers in the game if not the best. Between the bat and the glove he has a claim to being one of the best all-around catchers in baseball.

The signing leaves open the question of what happens to James McCann, who was himself an All-Star this year. It’s not that hard a question, of course, as Grandal is a far superior catcher to McCann in every respect. The Sox could make McCann a backup. Alternatively, they could try to trade him to fill other holes on the roster.

The White Sox finished 72-89 in 2019 but are showing signs of coming out of rebuilding mode and into contention mode. This signing pushes them a big step into that direction.