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This is Defector, a new sports blog and media company. We made this place together, we own it together, we run it together. Without access, without favor, without discretion, and without interference.

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Dave McKenna

President Nixon holds "a frank exchange of views" with a young basefall fan at the Washington Senators' Opening Day game versus the New York Yankees at RFK Stadium

Senators Week

Bob Short Still Stinks

Dan McQuade was a founding member of Defector. He died in January 2026.

Dan McQuade

Here’s Yet Another Baffling, Unreviewable Call From An Umpire

<a href="https://twitter.com/cdgoldstein">Craig Goldstein</a> is the editor-in-chief of Baseball Prospectus and the co-host of <a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/show/five-and-dive/">the Five &amp; Dive podcast</a>.

Craig Goldstein

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, seen here in Cooperstown, being weird.

Rob Manfred Has No Feel

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

Vlad Jr. waves to fans after his team beat the hell out of the Washington Nationals.

Vlad Jr. Did Some Primo Smashing

Luis Paez-Pumar

Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels hits a double against the Texas Rangers in the second inning at Globe Life Field on April 26, 2021 in Arlington, Texas.

Shohei Ohtani Highlights Have Made Me Care About Baseball Again

Tom Ley

Goodbye Jeff! Thank You Man!

Ray Ratto

Baseball’s Stupid New Rules Turned A Potential No-Hitter Into A Maddening Paradox

Fernando Tatis Jr. Sure Had Himself A Weekend

Trevor Bauer lies on the mound, tragically un-owned.

Heartbreaking: Most Annoying Person In Baseball Makes Great Point

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 22: Jake McGee #17 and Curt Casali #2 of the San Francisco Giants celebrate beating the Miami Marlins at Oracle Park on April 22, 2021 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)

Curt Casali Is Catching Some History

David Roth

Milwaukee pitcher Corbin Burnes throws a pitch in a game against the Minnesota Twins.

It’s All Happening For Corbin Burnes

Lauren Theisen

Pandemic Baseball Quirks Are Really Starting To Mess With Me

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 18: Mitch Moreland #18 of the Oakland Athletics is mobbed by teammates after hitting into a fielding error to score teammate Matt Olson #28 and win the game against the Detroit Tigers in the bottom of the ninth inning at RingCentral Coliseum on April 18, 2021 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

The Oakland A’s Are Not Oakland Ass And So I Am Forced To Eat Shit

Kelsey McKinney

A photo of Mookie Betts making an amazing catch

Personally, I Would Not Trade Any Amount Of Salary Cap Flexibility For This Beautiful Catch

Mets team president Sandy Alderson seen at a 2014 event, presumably discussing cancel culture in a normal way.

Sandy Alderson Is Sick Of These Stories About His Many Creepy Mets Coworkers

Maitreyi Anantharaman

CFDA Fashion Icon Award recipient US singer Jennifer Lopez and fiance former baseball pro Alex Rodriguez arrive for the 2019 CFDA fashion awards at the Brooklyn Museum in New York City on June 3, 2019.

A-Rod Handles Breakup With J.Lo In A Normal And Human Way

Paul Kix is an author, entrepreneur, and occasional podcaster. His writing has appeared in places like The New Yorker, GQ, ESPN, and The Wall Street Journal.

SPORTS

CULTURE

OTHER

MLB

Bob Short Still Stinks

Here’s Yet Another Baffling, Unreviewable Call From An Umpire

Rob Manfred Has No Feel

Vlad Jr. Did Some Primo Smashing

Shohei Ohtani Highlights Have Made Me Care About Baseball Again

Goodbye Jeff! Thank You Man!

Baseball’s Stupid New Rules Turned A Potential No-Hitter Into A Maddening Paradox

Fernando Tatis Jr. Sure Had Himself A Weekend

Heartbreaking: Most Annoying Person In Baseball Makes Great Point

Curt Casali Is Catching Some History

It’s All Happening For Corbin Burnes

Pandemic Baseball Quirks Are Really Starting To Mess With Me

The Oakland A’s Are Not Oakland Ass And So I Am Forced To Eat Shit

Personally, I Would Not Trade Any Amount Of Salary Cap Flexibility For This Beautiful Catch

Sandy Alderson Is Sick Of These Stories About His Many Creepy Mets Coworkers

A-Rod Handles Breakup With J.Lo In A Normal And Human Way

Parenting Lessons From An Ill-Advised Trip Into The Yankee Stadium Bleachers

Carlos Ródon Had To Come A Long Way For This

Royals Win On Crotch-Assisted Walk-Off Pickoff

What 1993 Video Game Tony La Russa Taught Me About Baseball

Willians Astudillo Will Absolutely Die For This Shit

Watch What You Say About Joe West

Introducing: The Saint Cycle

Give Me More Awful, Stupid, Failed Video Reviews

Today’s Marlins-Mets Game Lasted A Whopping Seven Minutes