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Those umpire uniforms are outstanding

Playoff baseball makes people crazy. You should see the amount of Guardians fans who were calling for Vogt’s head for putting Bibee in earlier.

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I watch most guardians games and I’ve never heard anybody use the term “Patty Barrels” to describe Patrick Bailey but tbf it kinda slaps

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C.M. Bretz @cmbretz.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

4 runs on 3 hits with no homers is insane #mlb

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In light of yesterday’s game, i think it’s time to put the “Jose never shows up in the playoffs” narrative to bed. He’s legit been good since 2020, lowest OPS was .750 (in 2025 WC). Early career struggles are dragging down his averages. #mlb #guardians (from @baseball-reference.com):

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C.M. Bretz @cmbretz.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

At some point, there’s gonna be a reckoning about the overuse of high leverage relievers in the playoffs. The excuses people give sound a lot like the excuses people in the 90s/00s gave when they let starting pitchers throw til their arms fell off

C.M. Bretz @cmbretz.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

No Slade. Bibee as a bullpen option?

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C.M. Bretz @cmbretz.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

It’s crazy how Cleveland’s have not done well at all in MLB (with Messick inn2025 the obvious exception), yet they keep making the playoffs with a tiny payroll

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C.M. Bretz @cmbretz.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Foreign policy advice from the MechaHitler LLM, nothing to see here

Time article: Since returning to office, Trump has marveled at AI’s capabilities. He is increasingly in thrall to the tech executives courting him. In December 2025, Elon Musk returned to the Oval Office for a clandestine meeting. Trump spent hours asking Grok, Musk’s AI chatbot, questions about his presidency and legacy, according to an official present. At the time, Trump was ordering missile strikes against Venezuelan boats he alleged were smuggling drugs into the U.S. He asked Grok how Venezuelans would react if the U.S. captured Maduro. According to the official present, the chatbot responded that Maduro was a repressive and deeply unpopular dictator and that many Venezuelans would likely celebrate his downfall. After Trump ordered the mission to seize Maduro, the following month, celebrations broke out in the streets. Trump, according to officials, came away thinking Grok was ingenious.

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C.M. Bretz @cmbretz.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Kinda crazy that Roma has two CMs starting in a World Cup quarterfinal

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Reposted by C.M. Bretz

Jeremy Glover @jgrantglover.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

There’s a scene in the dystopian sci-fi movie Minority Report where Tom Cruise’s character is riding in an autonomous vehicle that gets remotely commandeered by the police to bring him into custody. The audience is supposed to see this as flagrant disregard for privacy and due process.

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Archaeologists find evidence of foul. VAR overturns goal.

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Half the ‘94 squad were semi-pros and they reached the same round as this Golden Genretaion. And the ‘94 team put up a tougher fight against a much, much better team.

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And yes, the US played their worst match of the tournament by a large margin, and Belgium played their best. But casuals will just see another round of 16 exit and move on. And there’s nothing about the program to suggest they’ll be a side capable of a World Cup title for at least a generation.

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This may seem reactionary but this World Cup is gonna go down as an unequivocal failure for the USMNT. It just reinforced the narrative they aren’t in the same galaxy as the top teams. Even with all their money and influence.

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C.M. Bretz @cmbretz.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Some will say it’s karma but honestly the US is fortunate they’re only down 1

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This is like that scene in The Big Short when Steve Carell asks his team why Schmitty and the real estate bros are confessing to doing shady shit and his team is like “Oh they’re not confessing, they’re bragging.”

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C.M. Bretz @cmbretz.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

This is more relevant now than it was 12 years ago. John Oliver on how FIFA is basically a crime syndicate and why they will always get away with it. Featuring an all time quote from Dave Zirin: “Bribery and FIFA go together like peanut butter and jelly.” youtu.be/DlJEt2KU33I?...

youtu.be

FIFA and the World Cup: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

YouTube video by LastWeekTonight

Jerad Walker @jeradwalker.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Reposted by C.M. Bretz

It’s a beautiful evening, the National Mall is open and people are having a wonderful time.

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C.M. Bretz @cmbretz.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

The fact that Cape Verde proved they’re legit makes it even funnier that the Uruguayan federation made their players fly commercial because they finished behind CDV in the group stage

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C.M. Bretz @cmbretz.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

I’m henceforth rooting against Argentina for taking away our Cape Verde

C.M. Bretz @cmbretz.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

This is what gets me about this call. It’s not like the Croatian player dramatically altered the ball’s flight path. The Portuguese defender was clearly trying to head it. Just because it was a shitty clearance right to a Croatian doesn’t mean the header was unintentional.

C.M. Bretz @cmbretz.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Even if England come back and win this, I’m taking Mexico at the Azteca.

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C.M. Bretz @cmbretz.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

So much for the bracket opening up for the USMNT 🤦🏻‍♂️

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C.M. Bretz @cmbretz.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

The rule just says he can’t be beyond the second-to-last player. That’s almost always the keeper plus 1 defender. But here, he was beyond the keeper, who came off his line. So he was beyond the second-to-last defender (1st is your X). It was technically the correct call. Still brutal, though.

C.M. Bretz @cmbretz.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

What’s the record for most catchers on an active roster at once?

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C.M. Bretz @cmbretz.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Showing that Zendejas cojones replay in slo-mo was diabolical #usmnt

Sanho Tree @sanho.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Reposted by C.M. Bretz

Technically, they’re Remains now.

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C.M. Bretz @cmbretz.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

I know the USMNT probably gets a better round of 32 matchup if they finish 2nd, but I’d love for Türkiye to drop points here so the US can run out a reserve squad next Thursday.

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C.M. Bretz @cmbretz.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

I’d set decent odds the NFL implements “hydration breaks” in the middle of each quarter before the decade is out

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C.M. Bretz @cmbretz.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Moving oversight of special education to HHS, which is run by a person who thinks autism is a disease and who falsely blamed it on mothers for trying to manage their pregnancy pain with the only medicine available to them.

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C.M. Bretz @cmbretz.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Tough break for Wesley. I thought he was gonna be one of the breakout stars of the tournament. Dude was a revelation for Roma this season

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C.M. Bretz @cmbretz.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

“I guess I just assumed there were more Senegalese expats than American soccer fans living in Western North Carolina,” the delighted winger, who plies his trade in the Netherlands, told reporters after the match.

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C.M. Bretz @cmbretz.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Wow. Taiye Selasi’s “Firstborn Immigrant Daughter” in this week’s @newyorker.com is the best new short I’ve read in some time. Maybe even years. 🖋️📚