MLB Bullets wonders what might have been

Good morning, Friday. I’m at the beach.

• Ben Reiter has a longform piece that you need to read about the tragic life and death of former Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabu.
• Another great piece of reporting is this oral history of the then-derided, now-iconic Houston Astros “Tequila Sunrise” uniforms of the 1970s. I have to agree with the thinking behind these uniforms—the Astros at the time had to do something to stand out from the crowd.
• Dodgers fans in Los Angeles are going to be able to see a few games on local over-the-air TV later this season. But only if it’s Tuesday.
• Jon Heyman was a little late in posting his winners and losers from the trade deadline.
• Wayne Cavadi believes the Dodgers were smart to hang on to their top two prospects.
• There was a report that Red Sox ownership forbade team president Dave Dombrowski from trading any of the team’s top prospects, although Dombrowski has denied this.
• If you’re still wondering how and why deals get made after the deadline, or you just want to read some more Grant Brisbee, he’s got a primer on post-deadline deals.
• Cliff Corcoran lists some of the best seasons ever from players traded at the deadline.
• Will Leitch lists five contenders and writes about how “urgent” it is for them to win the World Series this year.
• David Schoenfield thinks that the Diamondbacks could be a surprise World Series contender, thanks in part to former Cubs minor leaguer Zack Godley.
• Jeff Sullivan makes the case that Mariners hurler James Paxton is one of the best pitchers in the game right now.
• Jonah Keri was in Cooperstown for the Hall of Fame ceremonies, and he said the celebration brought “closure” on many fronts. He doesn’t just talk about Tim Raines and the Expos, but they are the main focus of the piece.
• Alex Rodriguez says that his one-year suspension was the best thing that could have happened to him because he learned how to “stop being a jerk.” Yeah, A-Rod actually seems like a nice, personable guy on TV now.
• One guy who hasn’t really learned how to not be a jerk is Pete Rose. Bill Reiter explains why MLB and Fox Sports needs to permanently cut ties with Rose now. I’m not linking to all the sordid details, but you can find links to them in that piece.
• Claire McNear welcomes Mets rookie Amed Rosario to Queens, the latest in a line of saviors for the Flushing Faithful.
• Bradford Doolittle went to games at Wrigley Field and Guaranteed Rate Field on the same day. What results is not just an examination of the differences between the two teams, but an ode to the City of Chicago.
• MLB is threatening to move the Diamondbacks over the cost of needed repairs to Chase Field. Yeah, they’re leaving Phoenix. That’s not really believable, guys.
• Former Indians pitcher Frank Herrmann discusses the differences between MLB and playing in Japan.
• Rockies closer Greg Holland is “day-to-day” after cutting his hand in a kitchen accident.
• Mike Oz quizzed young MLB All-Stars on how much that they know about the 1990s.
• Oz also continued his series of opening baseball card packs from 1992 with players, and Bernie Williams became the first person to pull his own card in a pack.
• Rays pitcher Chris Archer’s prank war with Astros mascot Orbit continued.
• The Athletics and their fans staged a naval invasion of McCovey Cove.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster.